Read Joshua 24:26-27

After the covenant renewal at Shechem, Joshua set up a stone as a witness: “This stone will be a witness against you if you are untrue to your God.”

Moments of commitment are powerful, but they can quickly fade if we don’t regularly reinforce them. Israel later forgot their Shechem moment – not because it wasn’t real, but because the memory wasn’t strengthened with truth.

You need witnesses in your life. Not superstitious charms, but structures of remembrance. These help anchor your commitment deep in your soul so it doesn’t drift:

• A journal entry documenting your choice and the date
• A verse placed somewhere visible in your home or workspace
• A trusted friend or mentor to encourage and hold you accountable
• A recurring calendar reminder to pray or review your commitment

Faithfulness is rarely dramatic. It is intentional, daily, even structured. The small, consistent markers keep your heart aligned with God.

Because Christ lives, your obedience is not sustained by human willpower; it’s His power at work in you. The grave could not hold Him. And because He overcame death, your old idols do not have the final word. You’ve made a choice – an important one! – to lay down those idols. Now reinforce it by God’s grace. Remember it. Act on it. Let it shape your daily life.

Today’s Practice:
Create your personal “witness stone.” Write down your “Shechem” moment and date it. Place a verse somewhere visible. Share your commitment with a trusted friend. Or set a recurring reminder on your phone to pray and renew your commitment to Christ alone. Pick at least one action today that makes your decision tangible and keeps it alive in your heart.

Small reminders keep faithfulness real. Moments matter, but markers make it last.
 

<< Go back to read Day 4

If God has been speaking to you through this sermon or this series of devotionals, and you'd like to speak with someone about how to lay down your idols and bury them for good, we're here to help. Send us a message and someone from our team will get back to you. We're here for you!

Read Joshua 24:15

Joshua’s decision wasn’t private. It shaped his entire household. Faith is personal; it has to be yours. But it is never meant to be isolated. What (or Who) you worship will inevitably influence those closest to you.

If you are a spouse, parent, grandparent, friend, or mentor, people are watching what truly governs your life. It’s not just about what you say; it’s about what you actually prioritize.

Hidden idols grow stronger. If I never admit, “I’m obsessed with human approval,” or, “Politics is consuming my heart,” or, “I care more about money than I should” – that idol quietly gains power. Silence protects it. 

But faith grows when it is named. When you say, “We’re choosing to serve the Lord,” or, “I’ve been putting this above Christ” – something shifts. Breaking the silence breaks the hold. That’s why Joshua didn’t just privately decide to serve the Lord; he declared it. 

But leadership does not mean perfection. It means direction. Sometimes the strongest leadership begins with repentance. 

It takes courage to say, “Here’s where I’ve let something compete with Christ. I want to lead differently.” But that kind of authenticity builds trust and shapes a legacy.

You cannot force anyone else to serve the Lord. But you can make it unmistakably clear whom you serve.

Today’s Practice:
Have one intentional spiritual conversation at home or with a close friend. Share what you’re learning. Pray out loud. Set one small rhythm: Scripture at breakfast, prayer at bedtime, gratitude at dinner – whatever helps anchor you in God’s truth. 

Quiet faithfulness today shapes generations tomorrow.

<< Go back to read Day 3

>> Read the Devotional for Day 5

Read Luke 9:23

Joshua said at Shechem, “Choose this day whom you will serve.”
Three millennia later, Jesus said, “Take up your cross daily.”

A "Shechem moment" is powerful. But faithfulness is built on an ordinary Wednesday, not just a Sunday morning. The danger after a spiritual “high” is assuming the decision will sustain itself. But it won’t. Idols don’t stay buried without resistance. They whisper. They rationalize. They reappear.

Serving the Lord is not a one-time declaration. It is a daily surrender. So every morning – “this day” – you will choose:

• What/who defines me?
• What/who drives me?
• What/who do I trust?
• What/who do I fear?

The idol of self is especially “burial-resistant.” Sometimes self just won’t go down. It wants control. It wants recognition. It wants comfort.

But Jesus teaches us a better way: instead of self-exaltation, self-denial; instead of domination, surrender; instead of striving for control, trust in a good Father.

You don’t need dramatic emotion to remain faithful. You need steady obedience.

Today’s Prayer:
Spend some time in prayer committing your heart to the Lord. Ask that God would expose any false affections in you, teaching you to die to yourself so that you can live fully for Him. 

Sunday’s decision was real. Today’s surrender keeps it alive.
 

<< Go back to read Day 2

>> Read the Devotional for Day 4

Read Joshua 24:14,23

At Shechem, Joshua didn’t just say, “Serve the Lord.” He said, “Throw away the foreign gods that are among you.” This tells us that some idols were still in their tents!

You can’t serve the Lord while hoarding potential substitutes. If we say, “I choose you Lord,” but don’t remove the competing idols, that statement is empty sentimentality. 

But idols don’t always look overtly harmful. They quite often look reasonable.

Sometimes they are material: comfort, money, success, pleasure.
Sometimes they are ideological: politics, power, reputation, control.
Sometimes the idol is simply self: my will, my way, my kingdom.

An idol is whatever captures your affection more than God and shapes your decisions more than His Word. When Joshua told Israel “throw them away,” he meant something tangible. Bury them. Remove access. Cut off supply.

Repentance is not vague or general. It’s specific. It has to be.

Ask yourself:

• What did the Spirit bring to mind on Sunday?
• What have I been excusing or justifying?
• What would obedience actually require me to change?

No one drifts into freedom from idolatry. You must choose to step out of bondage and into freedom.

Today’s Practice:
Take one concrete action. Delete the app. Cancel the subscription. Confess the habit. Set the boundary. Have the hard conversation.

Don’t just feel conviction; bury the idol. Freedom begins where compromise ends.

<< Go back to read Day 1

>> Read the Devotional for Day 3

Read Joshua 24:1–13

Before Joshua said, “Choose this day whom you will serve,” he passed along a message of remembrance. As they all stood at Shechem, God wanted to remind Israel of everything He had already done:

“I took Abraham…”
“I sent Moses…”
“I brought you out…”
“I gave them into your hands…”
“I gave you a land…”

Notice who is doing the action: God is the subject of every sentence. Their obedience was meant to grow out of remembrance.

In contrast, idols thrive on our selective memory. When we forget who rescued us, who carried us, who provided for us, and who forgave us, we might believe it’s up to us to control our future. And when that happens, we reach for substitute gods.

Yesterday, you may have decided to lay down some idols at the altar. As you seek to live out of yesterday’s commitment, remember to anchor it in God’s overwhelming grace toward you.

Consider:

• Where has God clearly shown His faithfulness in your life?
• What “Red Sea” did He part for you?
• What wilderness did He sustain you through?
• What victory did you win that wasn’t really your own?

You don’t defeat idols by trying harder. You weaken and destroy them by remembering better.

Today’s Practice:
Write down five specific ways God has shown his faithfulness to you. Don’t write down general statements; identify specific moments in your past. Then thank Him for each one by name.

Gratitude fuels our devotion. Before you choose Him, remember that He first chose you.

>> Read the Devotional for Day 2

Dear Church Family,

It is with both sadness and joy that I share with you that Pastor Al Cockrell, former Senior Pastor of The Chapel from 2000-2006, has departed us and entered the beauty of Jesus’ presence. He did so at perfect peace, and with a soul-deep longing to see His Savior.

Pastor Al and his precious wife Janie were critical to the ministry of The Chapel. After the passing of Rev. James Andrews, the founding pastor of The Chapel who led from January of 1961 to December of 1999, Pastor Al was called by God to lead this ministry through mourning the death of the only pastor they had ever known as well as helping this congregation move into the future of fruitful ministry. He did both masterfully. And after serving here, the Lord used Pastor Al in other church settings as well as leading a Mission organization. His life and ministry have impacted countless people through his service to King Jesus, and I count myself as one of them – just as many of you do.

Pastor Al was instrumental in my coming to Buffalo. He is who initiated contact with me while I was in Florida, and by God’s gracious leading I had the privilege of co-pastoring the church alongside him for a few years after my arrival. I can say, without reservation, that if I had to do it all over again I would gladly do it all over again. Pastor Al and Janie have been so gracious to me and my family, and I cannot overstate how helpful he was in setting up The Chapel for longer-term fruitful ministry. He and Janie have always been faithful to pray for me and my family, and the family of The Chapel – and he did so even to the end of his days on earth. Pastor Al was faithful to his wife and family, faithful to his calling, and faithful to the Lord Jesus above all. I have seen him in both public and private life, and his life magnified Jesus.

The Apostle Paul said “Give to everyone what you owe them…: if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor” (Romans 13:7). I gladly offer Pastor Al both respect and honor, and I am grateful that I was able to express that to him many times. As a church, we too should both respect and honor this man – he served us faithfully for the season God called him here and we thank God for the fruit that was born from his ministry.

In that spirit, we will be hosting a memorial service at The Chapel on a date in the near future to honor his life. Though the family is hosting a memorial service in North Carolina where he passed, they agreed it would be fitting to do one here as well. For any of you that have been impacted by his life and legacy, you will be welcome to join us. We will communicate details as soon as we make those plans with the family.

As Jesus said, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Thank you for joining me in praying for God’s grace to strengthen Janie, along with Brek, Thad, Jonathan, and their families. 

With Love,

Pastor Jerry

Think back to a time when you received a generous gift from someone. It might have been a big, extravagant gift given unexpectedly, or it could have been a smaller gift that met a really specific need that you had. How did you feel after you received it? Now think back to a time when you gave a generous gift to someone else. When you saw their reaction, how did that make you feel? I imagine in both cases, you felt joy and you felt thankful!

I can think of two specific instances in my own life, one where my family and I received a very generous gift and one where we were able to give generously to a person who was in need. When we received a gift, I was absolutely astonished that someone would be this generous with us, and I just couldn’t stop thanking them and the Lord. The time when we were able to give a gift to someone else, I remember being so thankful that we could be a blessing to them. 

Generosity produces thanksgiving, and God has designed it that way. Paul says as much in 2 Corinthians 9:11 - “You will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way, which through us will produce thanksgiving to God.” God gives to us in order that we might be generous with what He gives, and that generosity toward others will result in thanksgiving to God! 

Over this past holiday season at The Chapel, we talked about a number of opportunities to give “above and beyond,” to make an investment into Kingdom work happening beyond our own ministry. We listed a number of good partners doing good work, including area churches, outreach ministries, evangelistic efforts, and leader training initiatives. You gave generously to these efforts, and together we are making an investment into these efforts that totals more than $130,000. That’s incredible!

It's so encouraging to see our church respond in this way and give so willingly to these efforts, but what does that investment actually accomplish? What is the result of this generosity? Sometimes we give and we don’t get to fully know the impact of our gift, and that’s ok. But, when we can understand just how meaningful and effective our giving was, we’ll be that much more thankful for the opportunity. My hope in this article is to shed a bit more light on just how meaningful this generosity is.  
 

We aimed our holiday giving this year toward several local, national, and global efforts:

Local churches

We support a number of local congregations in the Western New York area because we believe that the mission of God requires all of God’s people and every expression of His church in our area. Through this holiday giving, we are able to make a significant investment into the Kingdom work through local churches in Western New York. 

These funds will help to see four new church plants launched through our Church Planting Initiative (CPI), and these new church expressions are meeting real and diverse needs in our area. One of these new congregations is mostly composed of Congolese refugees. Another is aimed at reaching Muslims in our city. These church plants are being launched in areas of our city where a gospel-centric church is not yet accessible to that local community. 

We’re also helping to see a new church plant launch in Baldwinsville, NY in partnership with Missio Church. Many of you remember that we participated in the launching of Missio Church when they began over ten years ago. Today, their congregation is sending one of their pastors to begin a new work nearby to them as they impact greater Syracuse with the gospel of Jesus.

Think about this in terms of real people having life-changing access to the gospel in their neighborhood. If each church plant reaches just one hundred new people this year, that means that these funds will help to ensure that 500 new people have repeated opportunities to hear and see the gospel!

Not only are we investing into new expressions, but we’re also blessing two existing congregations by meeting very specific needs that they have. Through this generous giving, we’re providing New Generation Church (Bishop Stephen Kulu) and Wonder Church (Pastor Joe Vacanti) with funds to repair deteriorating roofs and complete necessary building repairs so that their churches can meet and the surrounding communities can come and join in. These projects impact hundreds of people in our community! Thanks be to God.

Local outreach

How did you first hear the gospel of Jesus? Was it at church, through a friend, or was it possibly through a local outreach ministry? We know that these important outreach ministries are helping to care for and reach our community. 

There are around 50,000 students in school at UB, BuffState or Erie Community College. Through this holiday giving, we’re making an investment into Bridges International, Campus Ambassadors, Cru, and International Students, Inc. These are all on-campus ministries that are working to ensure that the gospel is visible and has an impact on the thousands of  young students in our community. 

We’re also helping to support Hearts for the Homeless, a ministry dedicated to feeding, clothing, and caring for the chronic homeless and poor within our community. In 2020, Hearts for the Homeless cared for over 13,000 people in Buffalo! With this investment into their ministry, we are helping to advance their efforts in operating a thrift shop that will provide affordable items and bring dignity to those that they serve, create a coffee shop space that will invite in the community to repeated conversations, and continue to operate their much needed food pantry. 

The impact goes beyond Western New York

As you can see, we’re deeply committed to our community and to ensuring that the mission is accomplished here in our backyard. What we’re committed to locally, we also want to see happen in our nation and around the world. That is why we also support efforts nationally and globally where God has given us opportunity.

With the funds from our holiday giving, we are making an investment into “Christ Together.” This is a national effort that The Chapel has a key stake in to help resource, train, and envision pastors and leaders to reach their city with the gospel. Pastors and leaders from 96 cities across North America have joined together with a shared commitment to ensure that every man, woman, and child will have repeated opportunities to hear and see the gospel. This investment and the effort that it represents has an impact on millions of people across our country and their opportunity to respond to the gospel of Jesus. 

We're also investing into The Rock Church in Cleveland, Ohio in a similar way that we are with the two local congregations in WNY, helping them with a roof and building repair project. Pastor Dave Brunelle leads that congregation in Ohio, has participated in our Reno U program, and is a friend in ministry.

With our desire to also invest globally, we are partnering with two strategic ministries in the Middle East that are establishing long term gospel centric impact. One (we can't share their name) has identified 130 former practicing Muslims who have come to faith in Jesus Christ and feel called to be leaders or pastors in their nations! We have been invited to share in this incredible opportunity to invest into these individuals who will soon be trained in solid theological teaching, establish safe mentoring relationships, and be encouraged as they boldly network with each other to share Christ and care for God’s people where they live.

The other is “Israel First Fruits,” a foundational ministry of Jewish business professionals. These leaders have come to faith in Jesus and are using their business platform in the Israel marketplace to advance the gospel through best practices guided by Biblical Principles, peer relationships that lead to gospel proclamation, and community influence that was created through their integrity and ethics clearly displayed in their own lives, their employees and the companies they run.

As you read about the real-world impact of this generosity, aren’t you thankful? Doesn’t your heart swell with joy as you think about the part we get to play in all this? Seeing people from other nations in our city have a church to attend and invite their friends to, seeing college students hear about Jesus for the first time, seeing the poor in our community find help and dignity, seeing our leaders in our nation come together to reach our cities with the gospel, seeing former muslims now trained to preach the gospel or seeing Jewish businesses standing for truth in their communities. 

Generosity produces thanksgiving. Thanks be to God for our opportunity to participate in His great mission in the world!

Listen

The stars are brightly shining

It is the night of our dear Savior's birth

Long lay the world in sin and error pining

'Til He appeared and the soul felt its worth

A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices

For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn

Fall on your knees

O hear the Angel voices

O night divine

O night when Christ was born

O night divine, O night

O night divine

Truly He taught us to love one another

His law is love and His Gospel is Peace

Chains shall He break, for his child is our brother

And in His name, all oppression shall cease

Sweet hymns of joy in gratеful chorus raise we

Let all within us Praisе His Holy name

Christ is the Lord

Their name forever praise we

Noel, Noel

O night, O night divine

Noel, Noel

O night, O holy night

O Holy Night is one of the most powerful hymns we sing at Christmas time announcing the birth of Christ. The music composition has huge swells that seem to lift you up to “where the stars are brightly shining” and carries you to the place that you want to “fall on your knees” in adoration. It’s a beautiful piece of music that evokes emotion rightly directed at our Savior.  

The lyrics, ironically written by an atheist named Placide Cappeau, speak of the great hope that Christ’s birth brings to people: freedom. Although that word is not used specifically, it is described throughout the song.  

A world that is weary from waiting for a savior, rejoices when he finally comes; the world is freed from a long season of waiting.  

When people are freed from the bonds of sin, oppression ceases.  

God put flesh on and come to live among us.  Jesus came for us, to save us and set us free. This means that we are valued and our “souls find their worth”.  God kept his promise to send a savior to set his people who were held captive free.  

We find this theme of freedom throughout scripture, not just verses that speak of Jesus’ birth. In Isaiah 61:1-2, we hear about the proclamation of “good news”, freedom for captives, and release from darkness; all of which is possible because of Jesus.  

The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, 

    because the Lord has anointed me 

    to proclaim good news to the poor. 

He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, 

    to proclaim freedom for the captives 

    and release from darkness for the prisoners, 

2 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor 

    and the day of vengeance of our God, 

to comfort  all who mourn, 

I think the common answer that we give when asked, “What has Jesus set you free from?” would be that he sets us free from sin. That is not a wrong answer but it is woefully incomplete. Yes, Jesus has set us free from sin but he has done so much more. We are set free to live an abundant life (John 10:10). We are set free to fulfill the purpose for which we were created (1 Peter 2:9). We are set free to be a part of something much bigger than ourselves (Matt. 28:19). We are set free from our desires that try to control us as if we are mindless zombies (Galatians 5:13-18). These are just a few of the strengths of our freedom that Christ has provided for us.  

No wonder the song Oh Holy Night is so powerful! If we take time to reflect on this truth, it will cause us to fall on our knees in awe and praise for our God who sets us free. So, the next time you feel unworthy, trapped, or weary, remember Jesus kept his promise and came for you. His birth means your freedom.   

The night of Jesus’ birth was definitely a holy night worth rejoicing in the angels. This Christmas season I hope you celebrate your freedom and it causes “all within you praise his holy name”.  

Listen

Go tell it on the mountain

Over the hills and everywhere

Go tell it on the mountain

That Jesus Christ is born

Shepherds feared and trembled

When low above the earth

Rang out the angel chorus

That hailed our savior's birth

Go tell it on the mountain

Over the hills and everywhere

Go tell it on the mountain

That Jesus Christ is born

Down in a lowly manger

The humble Christ was born

And God sent our salvation

That blessed Christmas morn

Go tell it on the mountain

Over the hills and everywhere

Go tell it on the mountain

That Jesus Christ is LORD

Luke 2:15-20

“So it was, when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, that the shepherds said to one another, “Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us.”  And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger. Now when they had seen Him, they made widely known the saying which was told them concerning this Child. And all those who heard it marveled at those things which were told them by the shepherds.  But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart. Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told them.”

It’s Christmas Eve. My plans this year look different than they have in years past because 2020 is the year of interrupted plans. Normally my family and I would be attending a Christmas eve service where I would have to wrestle a lit candle away from my toddler and throw looks that communicate “Santa is still watching!” at my kids to get them to behave for the next 45 minutes. In between these looks, I would try to listen to someone else tell me the Christmas story and then sing along with the carols about Jesus being born in a manger and to the world. Despite the difficulty of trying to get my 2-year-old and 5-year-old boys to relax long enough to enjoy one carol, I actually very much look forward to this service. I love hearing the Christmas story told to me. The wonder of the creator of the universe being held in the arms of a teenage mother, a created being, and being pacified by her calm soothing voice captures me. I love lifting my candle along with countless others in celebration and praise as we collectively remember the story and the great plan of redemption that was in place since the foundation of the world.

In a song by Beautiful Eulogy, they state it like this:

“The infinite becomes infant, the maker becomes man.”

Imagine that for a moment. The one who thought up the cosmos and also had the power to put them into the expanses, He became a baby who was also a squirmy, curious, little boy.

This seems crazy. “That in a lowly manger our humble Christ was born.” Jesus coming into the world as a baby, being born in a stable, and sleeping in a manger is the perfect picture of humility. Humbly he became a baby, born to a poor family, and accepted all the limitations that came along with that.

On the night Jesus was born, the angels interrupted the shepherds with news of the saviors’ birth. This was a welcome interruption, for the shepherds wasted no time in seeking out their newborn king. When they witnessed the truth that the angels spoke they took it upon themselves to share this great news with anyone who would listen. They were still shepherds, but they let this interruption give them a new purpose which was to glorify God and tell the world of all they had heard and seen!

So maybe this year you have had your life interrupted. I know I have. But no interruption is bigger than the moment Jesus interrupted my life by coming into my heart, rescuing me, and becoming my king and savior! If you have a moment like this too you know that this will always be the biggest interruption of your life. You know that your life was headed in one pitiful direction and Jesus entered your world and brought you into His kingdom changing your life forever! Has this moment raptured you the way it did the shepherds? Are you now compelled to “go tell it on the mountain, that Jesus Christ is LORD?” Or are you more compelled to talk with others and complain to others about your current temporary interruptions? Have you forgotten the power of the king who created the cosmos who lives inside of you?

This Christmas eve, take inventory of your heart. Your life is the mountain on which you have a voice to the world. What story are you telling? Re-read the story of the coming of Jesus in Luke 1:26-2:40. Dwell on the fact that Jesus did not enter a perfect world either, but his life told the perfect story. So this Christmas (and all the time), when you hear someone speaking of their despair and hopelessness, remind them of the story of Jesus. Remind them that their hope no longer needs to be in the status of the world, their hope can rest in the power of God to rescue them from this world!

Merry Christmas!

Listen

Angels we have heard on high

Sweetly singing o'er the plains,

And the mountains in reply

Echoing their joyous strains.

Gloria, in excelsis Deo!

Gloria, in excelsis Deo!

Shepherds, why this jubilee?

Why your joyous strains prolong?

What the gladsome tidings be

Which inspire your heavenly song?

Come to Bethlehem and see

Him whose birth the angels sing;

Come, adore on bended knee,

Christ the Lord, the newborn King.
 

Bishop James Chadwick wrote the English version of “Angels We Have Heard on High” in 1862 to sing of the story in the gospel of Luke and the announcement of the birth of Jesus Christ.  The opening scene of this carol begins with shepherds outside Bethlehem observing a multitude of angels that have gathered in the night sky to proclaim: “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom His favor rests” (Luke 2:14). What an awesome scene it must have been for the simple shepherds to witness a sky full of worshiping angels..  In addition to a host of singing angels, the composer then includes the mountains “echoing their joyous strains,” as well!

The composer presents the resounding, repeated chorus sung by God’s creation, the angels, the mountains, and then the shepherds with the Latin phrase “Gloria, in Excelsis Deo” meaning “Glory to God in the highest”.   Gloria meaning renown, greatness, honor, and power; all attributes of God   What could have caused heaven and earth to worship and sing praise in such a majestic way?  How could all this exuberance be over the birth of a seemingly gentle baby, born in humble surroundings?  This was no ordinary baby, this was Jesus Christ, the Son of God who was sent by God the Father to come in the flesh to become the spotless lamb that provides the means for the forgiveness of sin of mankind.

Finally, with this amazing truth, this understanding of who this Christ-child is, we are all are invited to come and see, to join in the impassioned worship, and to add to the heavenly chorus that declares the birth of not just any little baby but the newborn King of Kings! 

Listen

Mary did you know that your baby boy

Would one day walk on water?

Did you know that your baby boy

Would save our sons and daughters?

Did you know that your baby boy

Has come to make you new?

This child that you've delivered

Will soon deliver you

Mary did you know that your baby boy

Would give sight to a blind man?

Did you know that your baby boy

Would calm a storm with his hands?

Did you know that your baby boy

Has walked where angels trod?

When you kiss your little baby

You've kissed the face of God

Oh Mary did you know...

The blind will see, the deaf will hear

And the dead will live again

The lame will leap, the dumb will speak

The praises of the lamb...

Mary did you know that your baby boy

Is Lord of all creation?

Did you know that your baby boy

Would one day rule the nation?

Did you know that your baby boy

Is heaven's perfect Lamb?

This sleeping child you're holding

Is the great I AM

Mary Had No Idea

I invite you to reflect with me. It’s Christmastime and Mark Lowry asks, through his lyrics, “Mary, did you know?” I turn to Luke 1:31-33 where an angel says to Mary,

You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.

By my lights, I can infer that Mary knew that the gospel in Isaiah 52:7 would be fulfilled by her son:

How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, “Your God reigns!”

It’s charitable to assume that Mary knew that her son would reveal himself as the one true King of all creation. That her son would be the Christ.

However, as I reflect some more, I cannot assume that Mary knew what it would be like to experience her son grow up while knowing he would fulfill Isaiah 53:4-5:

Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.

If she understood the truth of these words, then Mary is a mother who knows that her child will die horribly. A mother who knows that she will likely outlive (in a sense) her baby boy. A mother who is left to wonder what that day will be like. Of course, perhaps Mary had no idea what her son would face. Regardless, there can be no doubt, she did in fact watch her son face the cross, and she could not have known what that would be like.

Mary’s hope (our hope, and the hope of all mothers) rests, then, in the truth of sentences like those found in Daniel 7:13:

In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all nations and peoples of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.

Her baby boy is the ruler of all creation, and one day her baby boy will make all things right. Mary’s hope as a mother is that experiencing Christ wrapped in the glory of the true King will “Wipe every tear from [her eyes]” (Revelation 21:4). At which time, not only will her pain be forgotten, but no mother will have a reason to cry ever again. Of course, it’s one thing to know that these sentences in Daniel 7:13 are true, and will be fulfilled, and another to experience their fulfillment.

I reflect on an analogy from my life to help grasp the distinction between knowledge of sentences and knowledge of experiences. If you had asked me on my wedding day what it would be like to watch my future wife walk down the aisle, I would have probably responded with something like, “All I know is that it’s going to be awesome.” While I was right — it was awesome — I can also tell you that I couldn’t have known ahead of time why I was right.

How could I have known? How could I have known what it would be like to see the woman I would spend the rest of my life with, beautifully dressed all in white, expectantly gaze at me, as she walked slowly towards me, jubilant father by her side, while Jeremiah Clark’s Prince of Denmark's March danced majestically from the full pipe organ partially hidden within the walls of Trinity Church? As far as I was concerned, at that moment, all creation — all creatures, all the earth, the planets, distant stars — had graciously stopped moving to not disturb the ceremony. How could I have known what this would be like? To ask that of me would be like asking a blind man to describe the horizon as it sits between the desert and an empty blue sky.

My reflections conclude. Mary knew the truth of who her son was, but Mary couldn’t have known what it would be like to birth him, to raise him, to lose him to the cross, and to receive him again on the third day. I’m moved to ask: do I know what it’s like to receive Jesus as my Savior, my Mentor, and my King, or is my knowledge of Jesus limited to knowing only sentences about him? I pray that you, the reader, and I can each be filled with both.

Listen

Oh come all ye faithful,

Joyful and triumphant

Oh come ye, oh come ye

To Bethlehem

Come and behold him

Born the king of angels

Oh come let us adore him

Christ the Lord.

Sing choirs of angels,

Sing in exaltation,

Oh sing all ye citizens of heaven above.

Glory to God,

Glory in the highest

Oh come let us adore him

Christ the Lord.

(Oh he shall be called Emmanuel...)

Ye, Lord we greet thee,

Born this happy morning,

Jesus, to thee be all glory here.

Word of the Father,

Now in flesh appears,

Oh come let us adore him 

Christ the Lord.

An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,

“Glory to God in the highest heaven,

    and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.” (Luke 2:9-15)

“O Come All Ye Faithful” is a gift to each of us, for it calls us to the very thing our hearts were made for – adoration. Our hearts were made to adore God. We were made to see Him for who He is and enjoy Him because of it. Augustine, a theologian from the 4th century, prayed “You stir man to take pleasure in praising you, because you have made us for yourself, and our heart is restless until it rests in you.”[1] Further, a famous catechism simply states “What is the chief end of man? Man’s chief end is to glorify God and enjoy him forever.”[2] We are made to enjoy God and adore Him.

We all know what it is like to adore something. It is when our hearts and minds get lost in the enjoyment of something outside of us. We feel complete, we feel whole, and we feel satisfied. In 2020, our hearts have experienced many different things, and words like complete, whole, and satisfied probably are not the first things to come to mind. More than likely, things like anxiety, confusion, heaviness, uncertainty, anger, heartache, depression, and weariness may have ruled your hearts in 2020. These things can weigh us down (Proverbs 12:25) and easily hinder us from adoring Christ. But let us heed to the call of this song, and come and behold. Even though darkness and defeat may surround us, let us seek to come joyful and triumphant because of the one who was born in Bethlehem and who won our victory. Jesus is the King of angels, the eternal Word of the Father who has always existed and through whom all things were created (John 1:1-3; Colossians 1:15-20). He is the Christ, the Messiah, the Anointed One of God promised long ago. He is the Lord Jesus; the One to whom all glory is due.

“O Come All Ye Faithful” reminds us of our identity in Christ, that we are citizens of heaven above. Our hope and identity is not in this world and the many trials it faces, for we have a King and a kingdom that will not fade. In this trying season that has brought a lot of suffering, let us take to heart that Jesus and His kingdom will endure forever (2 Samuel 7:13-16; Luke 1:33). As Paul states “But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ” (Phil. 3:20). Let this song call us back to a place of adoration and enjoyment of our God. This Christmas, let’s take heed to the exhortation of the apostle Paul, “Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.” (Colossians 3:1-2). Let’s set our hearts upon Christ and see Him in all of His beauty. By doing this, we will find rest and peace, joy and contentment. Our hearts will be full and satisfied because we will have beheld afresh “the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ.” (2 Corinthians 4:6) This Christmas season, come let us adore Him!

[1] Saint Augustine, Confessions (New York: Oxford University Press, 2008), 3.

[2] Westminster Shorter Catechism, The Orthodox Presbyterian Church, accessed December 8, 2020, https://www.opc.org/sc.html

Listen

We three kings of Orient are

Bearing gifts we traverse afar

Field and fountain, moor and mountain

Following yonder star

Born a king on Bethlehem's plain

Gold I'll bring to crown Him again

King forever, ceasing never

Over us all to reign

O star of wonder, star of night

Star with royal beauty bright

Westward leading, still proceeding

Guide us to thy perfect Light

Glorious now behold Him arise

King and God and Sacrifice

Alleluia, alleluia

Sounds through the earth and skies

O star of wonder, star of night

Star with royal beauty bright

Westward leading, still proceeding

Guide us to thy perfect Light

“When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.” Matthew 2:10

“Come, let us worship and bow down,

Let us kneel before the LORD our Maker.

For He is our God,

And we are the people of His pasture and the sheep of His hand.” Psalm 95:6-7

As a kid, this was always one of my favorite Christmas songs to sing. I liked how the rhythm of the song seemed to match the lyrics. It has a plodding rhythm that seemed to mimic the paces of the traveling kings as they ventured over “field and fountain, moor and mountain, following yonder star.”

The inspiration for this carol of course came from the story of the Magi found in Matthew 2:1-12. A couple of things to note about these verses:

1.     Matthew never specifies the number of Magi that were following the star. The number three was at some point assumed because of the number of gifts that were given to the little king Jesus. Some traditions hold that there were as many at 12 Magi.

2.     The word Magi does not necessarily translate to kings. It is a term that indicates that these men were some sort of nobility.  They may have been royalty or may have been men who held important government positions in the land from which they came.

The Magi were a band of important and impressive people. These important men traveled far from their significant positions and homes to visit this small boy in a house that was probably several levels below their standard of living. They did not think of themselves as too important for this journey. They did not take inventory of Jesus’ lowly position and status. For they believed the prophecy of Micah 5:2, that out of Bethlehem would come a ruler who would be a shepherd to Israel. Scripture tells us that “when they saw the star, they were overjoyed.” The Magi probably understood that this child was king of everything and everyone. So these rich, powerful men bowed down and worshipped this little poor boy and gave him gifts that were suitable for a high king of noble birth. Their actions conveyed that they understood who this poor boy really was and that their significance was nothing compared to that of King Jesus.

We live in a time and culture that is obsessed with mottos of “follow your heart,” “be true to yourself,” and the like. These mottos are pushed on us through media and advertisements continually. If we are not careful, we might use these standards as justification for choosing ourselves over Jesus, putting our pursuit of self above our pursuit of God. In this endeavor we run the risk of making our self the King or Queen of our life, spending much time, energy, and money on our own comfort and desires. All the while we may struggle to spend time with God in his word because we are so “busy,” or we make excuses to not spend a few moments listening to someone who needs a friend to talk to because they “drain” us, or we are hesitant to put a few dollars in the offering plate because we may not have “enough” for what we “need.” We do these things when we have placed our self on the throne of our heart, a place where only King Jesus is meant to be. When we behave in these ways we choose our self instead of doing the hard work of traversing “field and fountain, moor and mountain” to be close to Jesus and worship him.

This song reminds us to follow the true star, Jesus, rather than our own star. Whether we are following him or not, Jesus is still proceeding as King of Kings. He is still biding us to be guided by his perfect light.

This Christmas, will you continue to choose to follow our own pale light? Or will you humble yourself like the Magi, and put yourself aside to “crown him again?”

Listen

"Joy to the world the Lord is come

Let earth receive her King

Let every heart prepare Him room

And heaven and nature sing

And heaven and nature sing

Joy to the world the Saviour reigns

Let men their songs employ

While fields and floods

Rocks hills and plains

Repeat the sounding joy

Repeat the sounding joy

We will sing joy

We will sing joy

We will sing joy

Joy to the world

He rules the world with truth and grace

And makes the nations prove

The glories of His righteousness

And wonders of His love

And wonders of His love"

One snowy morning I sat down in the corner of my comfortable couch to spend time with the Lord. The Christmas tree was on, a soft, white blanket laid over my lap and music played quietly in the background. I looked out the window to see every snowflake taking the spotlight in the air. They were separately significant, extremely beautiful and gloriously captivating. I opened my journal and began to write:

 “You know every snowflake, every life on this Earth, every moment in time and every thought in our minds. NOTHING is hidden from you; nothing is unknown to you. There is great beauty in your sovereignty. You hold it all in your hands.” 

Truly I was overwhelmed by the majesty of that simple moment in my living room. Little did I know, my prayer was accomplishing what the Lord said to do in the Psalm I planned to read that morning: 

“I will bless the Lord at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth… Oh, magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together.” 
Psalm 34:1, 3

The word “magnify” drew in my sight like a light I desperately needed in the darkness. As I often do, I looked up the word in the dictionary and applied it to the context. To “magnify” God means to make him greater in esteem and respect, to increase his significance. (Read that again.) I knew right away that God doesn’t need us to do this, but he wants to, and he does. Jesus said in Luke 19:40, “I tell you, if they (we) keep quiet, the stones will cry out.” It wasn’t stones crying out that morning, but intricate, white, radiant snowflakes. Think about it: “simple” condensation from the sky that God himself made, led me to worship and adore the Lord of the universe, and love him even more than I did moments before.

Immediately, as if it were the next song filling my apartment, a lyric came to my heart in a way I’ve never thought about it before, 

“Let Heaven AND nature sing.”

This lyric, of course, is from the famous carol “Joy to the World”, written by a man named Isaac Watts. He wrote it along with other pieces to be placed in a book of poems. His goal was to illuminate the truth of Psalm 98, that Jesus is King over the whole world.

“Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth; break forth into joyous song and sing praises! Sing praises to the LORD with the lyre, with the lyre and the sound of melody! ...make a joyful noise before the King, the LORD!” 
Psalm 98:4-6

As I sat in awe of this lyric, I noticed that the study notes in my Bible referenced Luke 1:46-47. Someone else had a song to sing: Mary, the mother of Jesus. She sang,
“My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.”
Luke 1:46-47

“Magnifies”. How beautiful it was to see that word again.

Leading up the days of her son, her God, her Savior’s, birth Mary magnified God. She didn’t keep quiet. She joined in with a new song for Heaven and Earth to sing. As should we. Right where we are. Even in the comfort of our own living room.

Let us recognize the joy of this world is that Jesus has come.
Let us receive our King.
Let us prepare him room.
Let Heaven and nature sing.

Listen

O come, O come, Emmanuel

And ransom captive Israel

That mourns in lonely exile here

Until the Son of God appear

O come, thou Day-Spring, come and cheer

Our spirits by thine advent here

Disperse the gloomy clouds of night

And Death's dark shadows put to flight

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel

Shall come to thee O Israel

O come, desire of nations, bind

All peoples in one heart and mind

Bid envy, strife and quarrels cease

Fill the whole world with Heaven’s peace

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel

Shall come to thee, O Israel

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel

Shall come to thee, O Israel

Shall come to you, O Israel

O Come, O Come Emmanuel

Since ancient times no one has heard, no ear has perceived, no eye has seen any God besides you, who acts on behalf of those who wait for him. (Isaiah 64:4)

All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”). (Matthew 1:22-23)

This song is a wonderful Christmas song because it is a song of anticipation. Teaching on this song, John Piper helpfully points out that this song points us to the first and second comings of Christ. In his teaching he helps us to feel the impact of the song on the heart,  “The common tune, linked with these lyrics in 1851 by Thomas Helmore, captures the plaintive mood of longing…It is an excellent musical match to the mood of the song. Longing. Aching. Yearning. Hoping.”[1]

We can all relate to these things, can’t we? In the world we live in we anticipate deliverance, rescue, and better times to come. Christmas is a season of anticipation where we long for renewal and joy. This song gives words to the cries and desires of our hearts. It is a cry for God to act. The prophet Isaiah, who first gives us in the Scriptures understanding of the Messiah as Immanuel – God with us (Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:21) also teaches us that God is a God “who acts on behalf of those who wait for him.” This song is a cry of waiting.

In the Old Testament, ancient Israel was a people often in exile and waiting for the deliverance of God. The new Israel, the Church, the people of God scattered across the globe, are also a people in exile who both celebrate and anticipate the deliverance of God. We long for the many things mentioned in this song, yet we have already experienced their realities. Christmas is the joyous remembrance that the Son of God has appeared to free us from Satan’s tyranny, to save us from the depths of hell, and to give us victory over the grave. Jesus has cheered our spirits, dispersed the “gloomy clouds of night” and has put “death’s dark shadows” to flight. He has opened “wide our heavenly home,” made safe the way that leads on high, and has closed the path to misery. Through the coming of the Son of God into the world, we have received life, joy, and eternal hope.

Yet we still wait and hope. We wait for the second coming of the Son of God. We wait for Him to appear again. We wait because we know that when He does Satan’s tyranny will be defeated in full, death will be a thing of the past, and we will experience complete victory over the grave as we share in a glorious resurrection to come (Revelation 19-21). The gloomy clouds of night will be no more, because in our heavenly home “There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign forever and ever.” (Revelation 22:5)

In this world there is misery, but in Christ, there is everlasting joy. So this Christmas, let us look to the past and what Christ has done in His first coming, and let us look to His second coming with great hope and anticipation. Let this great song give words to the longings of our hearts as we remember that “He who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming soon.” Therefore, let us pray with the apostle John “Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.” (Revelation 22:20)

[1] “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel,” Desiring God, updated December 13, 2015, accessed December 2, 2020, https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/o-come-o-come-emmanuel

Listen

Hark! the herald angels sing,

“Glory to the new born King,

peace on earth, and mercy mild,

God and sinners reconciled!”

Joyful, all ye nations rise,

join the triumph of the skies;

with th’ angelic host proclaim,

“Christ is born in Bethlehem!”

Hark! the herald angels sing,

“Glory to the new born King!”

Christ, by highest heaven adored;

Christ, the everlasting Lord;

late in time behold him come,

offspring of a virgin’s womb.

Veiled in flesh the Godhead see;

hail th’ incarnate Deity,

pleased as man with man to dwell,

Jesus, our Emmanuel.

Hark! the herald angels sing,

“Glory to the new born King!”

Hail the heaven-born Prince of Peace!

Hail the Sun of Righteousness!

Light and life to all he brings,

risen with healing in his wings.

Mild he lays his glory by,

born that man no more may die,

born to raise the sons of earth,

born to give us second birth.

Hark! the herald angels sing,

“Glory to the new born King!”

Hark! The Herald Angels Sing

But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” (Luke 2:10-14)

I love this old, classic Christmas song. This traditional song is rich in its content and points us to so many amazing truths about what God has done for us in Christ. There are a few reasons why I enjoy it so much.

First, it teaches us about who Christ is. From this song, we are reminded that Christ is our King, Christ is our everlasting Lord, He is God incarnate, Immanuel – God with us, the Prince of Peace, and the Son of Righteousness. Christmas is a time where we are reminded of truths that we desperately need. We need a King and an everlasting Lord. We desperately needed God to come in human form and live among us and redeem us. In Jesus - He did. We need God to be with us – and He is in Jesus. In a world of chaos, darkness, and anxiety, we need a Prince of Peace. In a world full of injustice and as human beings who daily wrestle with sin and its effects, we need a Son of Righteousness. For those of us who believe in Jesus, who are in Christ, the eternal Son of God is our righteousness. We are righteous before God through faith in Jesus Christ, the Righteous One (Galatians 2:15-16), and we are now growing in righteousness as we walk with Christ. Jesus is these things for us – and He is wonderful.

Second, this song teaches us about what Christ has done for us. We are reminded that through Christ, God and sinners are now reconciled. We are reconciled to God – we have a relationship with Him (Romans 5:11). Jesus gives us true light in place of darkness, and life in place of death. The last stanza states:

Born that man no more may die

Born to raise the sons of earth

Born to give them second birth

Jesus was born to destroy death (2 Tim. 1:10) and to give us eternal life. In Christ, we receive a second birth – which is a birth from God (John 1:12-13). We are new creations (2 Cor. 5:17) and are made alive in Christ (Ephesians 2:4-5). Simply put, we are born again through Jesus (1 Peter 1:13). We have new life and the future hope of resurrection. Christ came to “raise the sons of earth.” In Him, we are raised to life, which we experience now and will experience in its fullness at a final, glorious bodily resurrection when Jesus returns.

Finally, this song leads us to adoration. In this song, we are called to worship. We are called to joyfully join the triumph of the skies – the praise of heaven. All of heaven rejoices in and adores Jesus, and we can join in that too. In a world full of darkness and despair, trial, and suffering, we can pursue joy as we worship the Christ that came for us. So, as this song call us to, let us hail and give glory to our great King and Lord, the Prince of Peace and Son of Righteousness!

Listen

"I heard the bells on Christmas Day

Their old, familiar carols play,

    And wild and sweet

    The words repeat

Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

And thought how, as the day had come,

The belfries of all Christendom

    Had rolled along

    The unbroken song

Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

And in despair I bowed my head;

"There is no peace on earth," I said;

    "For hate is strong,

    And mocks the song

Of peace on earth, good-will to men!"

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:

"God is not dead, nor doth He sleep;

    The Wrong shall fail,

    The Right prevail,

With peace on earth, good-will to men."

This carol first existed as a poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (also known for writing Paul Revere’s Ride). Longfellow wrote this poem on Christmas Day in 1863 – During the Civil War. In his life, Longfellow experienced much heartbreak and loss, including the death of his young wife due to a miscarriage, and then two years prior to writing Christmas Day he had lost his second beloved wife to an unfortunate and terrible accident.

Can you imagine this man, walking down the street on Christmas Day, and as if they were taking no notice of his life’s hardships and the pain and sorrow of this terrible civil war, the bells of the church chime merrily along. They ring loudly in brazen disregard for all of the anger, hurt, pain, frustration, and confusion that all of the people of the town were dealing with

How could there be “Peace on earth” in a time of war? How could there be “goodwill toward men” when any just evaluation of humanity exposes the hate and bitterness that seems to be motiving everyone, everywhere?

Sometimes when our world is shaken by the loss of a loved one, loss of a job, a broken relationship, or general uncertainty in the world around us, we are discomforted and our faith in Jesus may feel trivial or even pointless because Jesus seems to be absent from our world. But Christmas time reminds us that Jesus is not absent. He lived on this earth and experienced much of the same loss that we have felt. He lived in a shifting unpredictable world too. Jesus never tried to escape his hardships, even to his death on the cross. He lived through them, taking every opportunity to give hope and life to others around him as he proclaimed the truth about himself, his Father, and hope of the eternal kingdom to come! His kingdom, where there is no war, where peace and goodwill are abundant!

Because of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, we can celebrate with the bells at Christmas time, and sing along with their happy reminder that, “God is not dead, nor does he sleep!” God is always working to usher in his kingdom. We can rejoice because we know that at the end of this world, the “wrong shall fail” and “the right prevail.” The church bells in our hearts can keep on ringing, not because they we ignorant of the state of the world or the state of human hearts, but because the words Jesus spoke to his disciples found in John 16:33 “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."

Because of Jesus, we can sing “Peace on earth, goodwill to men!”

We are living and leading in a challenging time.  Decisions around what to do and how to do it in the midst of a global pandemic, political division, and social tension make for a ripe opportunity for the enemy to sow discord among the Body of Christ.  And while brothers and sisters of good faith and good will can graciously choose differing routes to accomplish the mission of God and shepherd the people of God, what we cannot compromise is the unity of the Body of Christ.

As the Apostle Paul implored the church of Ephesus to maintain a unity and a peace that utterly transcends the very plight of any existing circumstances - including the very conditions that place him in the jail cell from which he writes – we too in the Church of WNY willingly embrace his exhortation: "I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.” Ephesians 4:1-6

As shepherds of the flock of Jesus Christ in WNY, we are eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit and to practice humility, gentleness, patience, peace, and love.  In light of the questions before us in our region regarding restricted worship – Do we open our worship gatherings?  Do we comply with the government recommendation and remain closed?  Do we exercise our rights based on the recent ruling of the Supreme Court? – we want to demonstrate the fruit of God’s Spirit toward one another and maintain the unity of the Spirit even if we choose to answer those questions differently than our co-laborers.  Some of us will choose to remain compliant with the local governing authorities in the spirit of respecting the God-ordained authority and honoring that leadership (Romans 13:1-7; 1 Peter 2:13-25) and will thus close our doors for public worship temporarily.  Others of us may make the same decision, but based primarily on the desire to love our neighbor and consider others before ourselves (Matthew 22:37-40; Philippians 2:1-8). Yet others of us may make the decision based on the spirit of Paul’s statements about his own apostleship and the rights thereof and, like him, will gladly “lay down our rights and endure anything” for the sake of our gospel witness to a suffering community (1 Corinthians 9:12). Still others of us will choose to gather for worship consistent with the Biblical admonition and legally protected right to do so, and in compliance with national governing authorities, in an effort to “not neglect meeting together” (Hebrews 10:24-25) and to mobilize the local body of believers to care well for one another and for those who are not able to gather (Romans 12:9-16).  While other decisions based on other Biblical rationales exist as well, the above serve simply to demonstrate the various decisions that leaders will make and some of the Biblical basis for them.

Regardless of the particular choices a local congregation makes, what we are affirming with one another in the greater body of believers in WNY is that we are all instructed to maintain unity, and to do so eagerly, since these decisions are not matters of salvation or first order doctrinal issues. As an extension of that truth, we are also committed to leading the people in our care in that regard since we “are keeping watch over (their) souls, as those who will have to give an account.” (Hebrews 13:17).

Therefore, we affirm the need and desire to protect and maintain the unity of the Spirit in the Church of WNY, especially in such trying times are we are experiencing, and will endeavor to do so strengthened by God’s grace.  May the ancient Christian statement be true of the Church of WNY, “in essentials, unity; in non-essentials, liberty; in all things, love.”

Government Shutdowns: Submission or Civil Disobedience? 

In the wake of a second round of government shutdowns and temporary closures related to the COVID-19 pandemic, it is obvious that people are fatigued and frustrated.  Business owners, parents of school aged children (and the children themselves), teachers, administrators, pastors, and everyone else feel the weight of the age of restriction we are living in.  As well, health care workers working with COVID patients feel the strain in these seasons and deserve our thanks for their care and sacrifice.  Everyone has been affected in some way – for some, this has been inconvenient because of various temporary restrictions put in place.  For others, it has been devastating due to the loss of life, health, income, or even the toll it has taken on their emotional and mental health.  For all, we look forward to a future beyond this moment. 

During this second round of closures, I have heard a few discussions among pastors – and certainly more prominently among believers generally – as to whether this would be a time to resist the Governor’s orders to temporarily halt in-person religious gatherings of more than 10-25 people.  I can understand where those questions come from as these restrictions feel burdensome.  What I would like to do in the following paragraphs is to work from the foundation of the Word of God to shed some light on why The Chapel is choosing a certain course as opposed to another.  It is important, in our desire to get to a decision that is wise and consistent with the Word of God, that we don’t just generate “heat” through overly emotional or fundamentally political arguments for our decisions; instead, we need more “light” through the revelation of the Word of God and our willing obedience to it.  It is imperative that believers (and certainly spiritual leaders) begin with the default position of wanting to submit to the authority of God Himself, and to His Word to us.  That being our desire, I would have us turn our attention to the teaching of the Apostles Peter and Paul since both have words of instruction for us in the season we are in. 

Biblical and Theological Reflections: 

“Show proper respect to everyone, love the family of believers, fear God, honor the emperor.”    1 Peter 2:17 

If Peter were writing today, that passage would say “honor the President” or “honor the Governor”.  I’m guessing that whatever your political affiliation, for a Jewish Christian (such as Peter) to honor a Roman Emperor would be even more challenging than you or I honoring a President or Governor with whom we disagree.  Yet, that’s exactly what Peter instructs.  In the preceding verses of that text (which I encourage you to read), you find the nature of Peter’s instruction about governmental authority and why it is right to honor the emperor/governmental authority: 

1. Because it honors God – 1 Peter 2:13a (notice Peter says this is for “the Lord’s sake”) 

2. Because of their purpose – 1 Peter 2:13-14 

3. Because it quiets the opponents of Christianity – 1 Peter 2:15 

4. Because we are free people – 1 Peter 2:16 (as people who are loyal to King Jesus, we are free to submit to earthly leaders) 

5. Because God judges justly – 1 Peter 2:23 (as Jesus entrusted himself to the Father, so too can we) 

We will return to this passage momentarily, but let’s allow Paul’s instruction to the believers in Rome – at the heart of the Roman Empire - to enter the conversation as well.  Romans 13 must be read in context of Romans 12.  Paul is instructing Jewish and Gentile Christians how to relate to God and to one another and mentions that they are to love, to bless and not curse, to not repay evil for evil, to not take revenge but leave room for the wrath of God, to be patient in affliction, to live at peace with everyone as far as it depends on them, among many other exhortations.  So, when Paul begins Romans 13 it is within this flow of thought.  Surely some of the believers struggled with government overreach, and in particular were concerned about paying taxes (just like those in the time of Jesus were concerned about it some 20-25 years earlier). 

“Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. 2 Consequently, whoever rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. 3 For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and you will be commended. 4 For the one in authority is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for rulers do not bear the sword for no reason. They are God’s servants, agents of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer. 5 Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also as a matter of conscience  6 This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God’s servants, who give their full time to governing. 7 Give to everyone what you owe them: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor.”   Romans 13:1-7 

In this somewhat lengthy passage, a few principles emerge for us to embrace: 

1. All governing authorities have been established by God – Romans 13:1, 4, 6.  Paul isn’t the first to describe this, and he isn’t only describing “good” leaders being established by God.  In the Old Testament we could read of the Egyptian Pharaoh being established by God, King Nebuchadnezzar being established by God, and even some ungodly kings of Israel being established by God.  And in John’s gospel in the New Testament, we hear the words of Jesus to Pilate when he says “You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above” (John 19:11).  Even Jesus affirms Pilate’s authority, but notes that it is a derived authority - it comes from God. 

2. Because all governing authorities have been established by God, believers are generally to live in submission to them – Romans 13:1, 5.  Specifically, Paul gives two reasons for this submission: a. Because of the governmental authorities’ right to punish wrongdoing, and b. Because of conscience (since this is God’s authority). 

3. Rebellion against governmental authority is rebellion against what God instituted – Romans 13:2 

In light of the teaching of both Peter and Paul, it should be clear that the first impulse of a believer is that because we honor God as our King, we will honor the authority that He established.  We should be quick to answer the question: “Am I prepared to disobey what God has clearly stated in light of a particular circumstance?”  And for spiritual leaders, we must ask “Am I prepared to stand before God and give an account for leading the people in my care toward disobedience to God’s duly established authority?”  These are sobering questions, and should be treated with the gravity they deserve.  To sow the seed of rebellion in the lives of believers is dangerous and destructive, and is an impulse that we should resist in order to honor God.   

But we must also pay careful attention because the Scripture is equally clear that there are times when the governing authorities are working in ways that are clearly opposed to the way and will of God and thus should be resisted out of submission to God.  There are examples from the text of Scripture that we can call upon to understand the motivation of when resistance or disobedience is proper and acceptable. 

In Exodus 1:15-21, two Hebrew midwives disobeyed the edict of the Pharaoh to kill the Hebrew boys at birth because they knew that this dishonored God and they feared God.  In Daniel 3:16-18, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego did not obey King Nebuchadnezzar in worshipping the golden image because they knew it violated the command of God.  In Daniel 6:6-10, Daniel did not obey the edict from King Darius about praying to any other god but him.  And in Acts 4:18-20 and Acts 5:27-29, we see Peter, John, and the other apostles disobeying the authorities because they told them they could not preach in Jesus’ name.  As Peter noted in the first passage we discussed, fearing God precedes honoring the emperor, and, in serious cases, we must obey the True Authority instead of the earthly one.  There can be times where a believer must resist who God has appointed in order to do what God has commanded. 

What we find common to all of these instances of disobedience to the governing authorities is that either the governing authorities try to prohibit believers from doing what God commands or the governing authorities give a command that the Bible prohibits.  In either case, disobedience is proper and right, and a believer or a leader must be prepared for the consequences of such a decision.  But as Charles Colson noted, civil disobedience should demonstrate submission to God instead of simple rebellion against the governing authorities.  If our motive is out of political animus or just to feed our general rebellion against authority, then we are not on solid Biblical decision making ground.  But if we align our decision making with God’s own authority and Word, and our motivation for civil disobedience is out of submission to God more than rebellion against authorities, then the action is justifiable if the above criteria are demonstrably present. 

Practical Implications: 

With this brief (and non-exhaustive) survey of the Scripture in view, how do we approach the situation we are in presently?  Well, a series of questions based on the Word of God is proper: 

• Is the government causing us to sin? 

• Is the government prohibiting what God has commanded? 

• Is the government commanding something God has prohibited? 

• Is the government singling out and discriminating against churches/believers? 

To all of the above questions, we are answering “No.”  A temporary shutdown order of religious gatherings does not, in my view, force us to sin, and it is within the right of a government to do so if premised upon reasonable motivations (such as public health).  We are not being singled out as a church or churches, as all large gatherings have been temporarily banned.  As well, businesses, schools, concerts, sports events and the like are faced with restrictions as well.  Whether or not we agree with the imposition of these restrictions, they are not out of nowhere and are based upon a premise of public health; thus, we can fairly call them reasonably justified (even if we disagree with the manner, motive, or application of the restrictions).  It is fair, here, to note the exhortations of Hebrews 10:24-25: 

“And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another – and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” 

It is my view that WE are not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, nor are WE giving up the habit of so doing.  We gathered before COVID, during COVID, and we will gather again in person.  We have gathered in large groups and small groups before and during this pandemic.  This passage isn’t specifically speaking to the structure of gathering (nor to timing), but is concerned with the heart attitude that would detach itself from life-giving Christian community and worship. So, while not abandoning our hearts for gathering, we are being asked to participate in the public health of our region through a governmental restriction that temporarily halts in person worship gatherings.  Of course, we still have an online platform and can worship in this way temporarily, and we are not being asked to halt the preaching of the gospel or the ministry of the Word to people.  Might we, at some point, be forced into a position as either leaders or believers where we must obey God rather than governmental authorities?  Yes.  And by God’s grace, we pray we are all prepared to do so – leader and believer alike.  But this is not that time. 

Though much more could be said, it is upon this foundation that we have made the decision to willingly comply with the governmental authorities around this temporary shutdown.  Do I like being shut down?  Of course not.  Do I agree with it?  I do not (though my opinion is immaterial). What I can appreciate is how difficult these decisions are for leaders to make.  Are some of the decisions motivated by politics?  Of course they are, at least in part.  Churches in WNY have not been demonstrated as the problem related to the spread of the virus, and our church (and most of the ones I know) have been judicious in honoring measures intended to promote public safety and health.  The same could be said of schools and many businesses.  But while I do not personally think that general lockdowns (as opposed to specifically targeted ones aimed at protecting the most vulnerable) have proven to solve the issue with the spread of the virus, I do understand that the Governor has a very difficult task and that no decision is easy or without consequence.  As well, I understand it is not my decision to make, it is the decision of the Governor who has been duly established by God.  What I am convinced of, however, is that God has called upon me and every believer to pray for those in authority – an authority He established (1 Timothy 2:1-4).  Please join me in praying for Governor Cuomo and Lt. Governor Hochul as they lead our state, as well as praying for President Trump and Vice-President Pence as they oversee efforts at the national level and for the apparent incoming administration of President-Elect Biden and Vice-President Elect Harris.  These leaders need the wisdom of God, and the people of God need His grace and mercy to walk gratefully before Him and not lose sight of our high calling to be worthy witnesses of Jesus Christ. 

We are in a cultural and national moment of reckoning.

While it is outside my experience or expertise to fairly or properly analyze the robust national dialogue that is happening in the wake of George Floyd’s tragic, unjust, and unnecessary death, I can, however, observe alongside everyone else that this national conversation is becoming a priority.  For a large portion of the black community, I am confident it feels long overdue.  Far too long, in fact.  August of 2019 commemorated 400 years since the first slaves were brought from Africa to Jamestown against their will.  400 years.  The significance of that number is not lost on Christians I hope.  Israel was under the oppression of Egypt for 400 years.  God was prophetically silent for 400 years in the time between the closing of the Old Testament and the coming of Jesus.  And now we meet a milestone whereby God may be graciously working in providential ways to say to our nation that this is long enough.  I pray that our nation responds on all fronts with empathy, wisdom, and an action-laden resolve toward a more just and equitable societal existence.  My hopeful expectation is that every Christian would feel the same, even if there are fair disagreements on how to arrive there.

But as a Christian, and one whose life calling is tied up in providing servant-leadership to the church, I am writing to better understand and analyze the problems specific to the family of God.  Inherent in those problems are issues around the idea of race, and how the Scripture generally, and the gospel specifically, helps to frame our understanding and action along those lines.  The following thoughts will not be exhaustive – they will be a starting point to contribute to an ever-evolving conversation.  Nor am I trying to posture my thoughts, or myself, as expert.  Like so many others, I have been continually processing what I need to learn and the limits of my own experience and understanding in dealing with these issues.  Thus, it my hope that these thoughts will be received in the same manner I am trying to deliver them – with humility and grace.

With an emphasis on the people of Jesus, I would like to begin by first identifying and commenting on some larger scale problems we are facing in dealing well with issues of race and justice in the Church.  Following that commentary, I would like to unpack some pertinent Biblical and theological ideas that will matter in how we address these issues.  And finally, I would like to offer some practical steps for consideration in the Body of Christ that may move us more toward reconciliation, healing, and peace.

Problems Facing the Church Related to Racial Issues

1. The Problem of Historical Ignorance – To the surprise of no one, the largest grouping of evangelicals in the United States is Caucasian.  I note this simply because for a large section of Caucasians generally, and evangelical Christian Caucasians particularly, there may be a significant gap in understanding the history of our nation and the net effect it has had on people of color – notably upon the black community.

In a pointed, and historically sensitive, editorial written for Christianity Today by its President and CEO Timothy Dalrymple, he accurately noted that slavery existed in our nation before we were even a nation. “The first slaves arrived upon these shores before the Pilgrims, before there was a Massachusetts or Connecticut. Slavery had been established for 113 years when George Washington was born and 157 years when the Declaration of Independence was written.”[1]  He goes on to note that only 42 percent of white Christians believe the history of slavery still impacts the black community today.[2]

This is problematic for the Church.  If the majority Caucasian congregations cannot attempt to understand and empathize with the generational pain and net effect that slavery had on our black brothers and sisters, then it will be more challenging for the Body of believers to move forward in understanding and unity.  I encourage you to read Mr. Dalrymple’s article and grapple with the reality of our national history and the effect it has had on generations in the black community, even if you don’t agree with all of his conclusions.  The impact over time related to wealth creation, home ownership, education, solidified family structures, incarceration, and other issues is substantial. It must also be conceded that policy decisions over the last 60 years have at times both exacerbated or helped relieve some of these issues.  To be sensitive to these issues is not to excuse or demean personal responsibility in decision making, it is simply to increase our understanding and become better educated as to the host of factors that contribute to the pain and frustration of black brothers and sisters in the Body of Christ.  When injustice occurs aimed at the black community, it elicits a return to a tired traumatic memory that most other communities of people do not have to endure. 

2. The Problem of Political Polarization in the Church – This hurdle is one that many spiritual leaders are either trying to dismantle or are intentionally or unintentionally encouraging.  All of us who are paying attention know full well that virtually anything can be, and is, politicized.  Though it is not incumbent upon it, politics on the whole are divisive by choice.  And the politics of our day has moved far beyond the debate over contrasting ideas in good faith, and has instead moved into the intimidation, demonization, and dehumanization of opponents – all thoroughly anti-Christian devices.  The present national dialogue is no different.  There is pressure from the extremes on all sides of the political spectrum to choose your camp and shame those who do not side with you.  And, unfortunately in the Church, believers will far too often demonstrate our lack of spiritual maturity and sanctification as we ably parrot our favorite opinion news channel personality without giving thought to whether or not our discourse is drawn from the pure well of the Spirit or the dirty well of the flesh.  We must be Kingdom of God thinkers first.  Our allegiance is to Jesus and His people, and though we pray for and respect the authorities the Lord designates to a nation, our ultimate hope is not found in them.

This can be observed in current issues surrounding our national conversation on race.  As an example, the phrase “Black Lives Matter” has become a line of demarcation to determine what “side” one falls on.  Believers must be able to think about this in better and richer ways.  It should be no trouble for the believer to say black lives matter. They do matter.  It has never been the intent of this movement to suggest that other lives don’t matter.  It was to call attention to the lives that didn’t seem to matter to our national standards of justice and equality.  As an example, if one were to say “Pre-born babies’ lives matter” that would not be to suggest that all other lives do not matter.  It would simply be to point out that it is an injustice for their lives to be treated as if they do not matter.  And with that understanding, it should be no problem for a believer in Jesus to affirm that black lives matter.  But that doesn’t mean that a believer in Jesus must affirm the totality of the organization “Black Lives Matter.”  Though this organization is decentralized and takes on a local flavor as it engages particular cities, there are pieces of their platform that are agenda-laden with ideas and values that would be at odds with many believers in Jesus.  And, at the very least, promotes a political agenda that many black and white brothers and sisters in Christ would not be in unanimity defending.  So, to the extent that “Black Lives Matter” upholds an ethic consistent with the gospel (such as the call for the just, ethical, and fair treatment of people of color legally, economically, and socially), it is my view that it should enthusiastically be supported.  But to the extent it does not uphold an ethic consistent with the gospel, it should not be supported.

Another current example is how politicized the issue of police and protestor has become.  Politicization wants us to paint with broad brush strokes and pick a side.  You can only be for one or the other, or so we are led to believe.  But we have brothers and sisters in Christ – black and white and brown - who are protesting injustices, and well they should.  And we have brothers and sisters in Christ – black and white and brown - who are law enforcement officers that are bravely protecting and serving our communities, and well they should.  The people of Jesus should be against injustice in all of its forms – violence, brutality, abuse of power, oppression, and lawlessness.  As well, the people of Jesus should be people of compassion and truth and mercy.  The second and third chapters of 1 Peter should be required reading for us all in these moments.  And in accord with that understanding, we should have a degree of empathy with those protesting injustice (and while clearly not condoning riots, endeavor to understand where they are emerging from).  Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., who often publicly condemned rioting and violence as a wrong way to effect change, also reminded us that “riots are the language of the unheard.”[3]  As well, Esau McCauley, an African-American scholar and Ph.D who is an Assistant Professor of New Testament at Wheaton College, clearly condemns riots but argues that it is imperative that Christians understand them:

“You can't come to a community that you hate and then rebuke them for behaving in a way that you don't find is appropriate. You didn't care about them anyway.  The only people who have the social and moral standing to speak to a community of unrest is people who at least can begin to understand the cause of that unrest.  As a Christian, I believe that the means and the ends must be one. You can't have a good end with an improper means. If the end is justice, for the Christian the means themselves have to be just. The Christians who are protesting against systemic oppression, at least those who are biblically faithful, are the ones who are saying, "Ultimately, even if I understand some of the frustration that is going on, these riots are not a Christian means of advocating for social change."[4]

Lastly, I think we can observe this politicization that divides when we understand how narratives are formed around our ethnic identities.  This creeps into the world of the Church.  Far too many have believed the narrative that white evangelicals are a monolith, and that the black community is as well.  Some would point to the voting records of those two groups to back their argument (and that does, indeed, have some credibility that must be considered), but every white evangelical is not a Republican and every black evangelical is not a Democrat.  While this article is not aimed at principles related to Christian voting, we must acknowledge that making assumptions of people in the Church based on their skin color will not be the best path forward.  The black Christian community has a rich tradition of debate within it – clearly seen from the debates of intellectual powerhouses like Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. DuBois in the late 19^th and 20^th century.  While they both advocated for social change and racial equality, they had very different philosophies of how to arrive there.  And their pioneering examples and philosophies are still debated today within the black community.  White evangelicals, as well, are beginning to think more deeply about how they may engage with social change for the common good, and there is plenty of good-faith debate as to how to press that forward in a gospel-centric manner.  But in all cases, respect for individual personhood should come before ethnic identity, while not excluding it, and the people of Jesus should not be pressed into feeling they only have two “sides” from which to choose.  We choose “The Way” over choosing a side.[5]

3. The Problem of a Lack of Intentional Relationships with the “Other” – In the majority Caucasian Church, it seems the people who are the most uneasy, the most volatile, and often the most politically tribal are those who understand the least about their brothers and sisters in Christ who are black.  In many cases, their knowledge is theoretical instead of truly relational.  Relationship is the only path forward for understanding and unity in the Body, in all of its glorious diversity.

This also holds true for pastors and leaders in the Body of Christ.  The least equipped Caucasian pastors and leaders in this cultural season will be those who have a void of intentional relationships with other pastors and leaders of color.  To listen, be led by, and to know these pastors and leaders of color will influence the way white pastors and leaders will actually lead and respond during this national moment.

4. The Problem of the Underestimation of Sin – This poses a danger within the context of our general culture, but specifically so in this moment.  To suppose that a change to systems can solve our cultural and racial problems is to underestimate sin.  Can systemic change help?  Absolutely.  Should it be pursued?  Of course it should.  But systems are led and populated by people who have been touched with the effects of humanity’s downfall into sin.  If we have an over-realized eschatology that assumes we can just usher in the consummation of the Kingdom of God ourselves, I believe it sets the Christian Church on wrong footing and will ultimately erode hope.  Unjust systems need to change, and Christians should be advocating for God’s heart for justice along these lines.  But systems cannot save.  Corrupt politicians must be voted out of office, and Christians should lead the way in voting with a mind filled with the convictions of the Word of God.  But politicians cannot save.  Only Jesus can save us, both in our present cultural situation and for eternity.  The human heart must change in order for our world to do so, and Christians believe that only Jesus has the power to bring the spiritually dead to life.  Every life experiences the bondage of sin, and only through the power of the cross and resurrection of Jesus can that bondage be broken in the heart of humanity.  This is why the Church must never abandon the demonstration and declaration of the gospel of Jesus, even while working toward reforming systems and institutions and bending them in the direction of Christ-centered justice for all.

Biblical and Theological Considerations

Biblical Data:

The Bible is not silent on the idea of “race.”  In my research, I found 10 usages of the word translated “race” in the Scripture (and the results were yielded in a combined search of both the English Standard Version and the New International Version).  Ezra 9:2 uses the word “race” to describe the seed or progeny of someone else (the Septuagint version would translate the word sperma in Greek).  Genesis 6:5-7, Job 28:28, Psalm 121:1-8, and Ecclesiastes 3:10 all use the word “race” to describe the Hebrew word adam, which refers to humankind.  Acts 7:19 and 1 Peter 2:9 both use the Greek term genos to describe descent or nationality (though the usage in 1 Peter denotes a “spiritual” rather than physical race of chosen people).  And finally, Romans 9:3 uses the Greek term adelphoi to describe a brotherhood in nationality.

Other Biblical data also concerns itself with ethnicity/race and culture.  In the book of Acts, for instance, we see the inauguration of a multi-ethnic Church in chapter two.  In the sixth chapter there is a system built to deal more equitably with an overlooked ethnic group in the Church.  In the tenth chapter, the Apostle Peter is confronted with a vision from the Lord about how other ethnicities are not “unclean.”  In the fifteenth chapter, the leaders of the Church gather to discuss how ethnic inclusion in the Church should be carried forward.  And in the seventeenth chapter, the Apostle Paul speaks to the Greeks in Athens and proclaims “And he made from one man every nation of mankind” (v.26a).

Of course, there is a significant amount of other Biblical material that could be brought to the fore regarding ethnicity and culture: Matthew 28:18-20 is the commission of Jesus to his followers to make disciples of all nations (ethnos in Greek); Ephesians 2 is Paul’s teaching about the new type of humanity called the Church that is made up of both Jew and Gentile (of a variety of colors and cultures); Colossians 3:12 where Paul states “Here there is no Gentile or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all”; the confrontation of Paul and Peter in Galatians 2 that exposed Peter’s hypocrisy related to the gospel and how that fleshed out in ethnic favoritism motivated by fear; or the majestic vision of Revelation chapters 5 and 7 where the Church is represented as “every nation, tribe, people and language.”  And these are just a sampling.  Many more examples from both Testaments could be added.[6]

Theological Implications:

Though each of the following passages of Scripture and their corresponding theological implications deserve far more weight and attention than I will be providing for the purpose of this article, it is still significant to call them to our attention.

For the initial framing of a discussion on “race”, it would be incumbent upon the Christian to begin with the Divine design illuminated for us in the opening book of the canon: Genesis.  In Genesis 1:26-27, we read:

“Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness…So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.”

While for the purposes of this article we will refrain from a discussion around the theology of the imago Dei or of gendered creation, we can affirm that this passage announces that humanity is, itself, the “race” that God describes.  This is the same idea that the Apostle Paul alludes to in Acts 17:26.[7]  Ethnicities, nationalities, and cultures are many, but the tenor of Scripture’s writers accords with one race of people – the human one.  This is at odds with the contemporary use of the term “race,” which is far more of a social construct.[8]  Adding strength to the concept of “race” as being consistent with humanity as a whole, the entire world of humanity had been separated out by God between Jew and Gentile (or non-Jews).  This separation, which was birthed through God’s covenant with Abraham, was one of an external nature.  As Dr. Voddie Baucham, Dean of Theology at African Christian University in Lusaka, Zambia, said, “The distinction between Jew and Gentile is a real distinction, and God made the distinction; but it’s a covenantal distinction, not a racial one. How do I know that? Because the first Jew had to become one.  He made an external adjustment: circumcision. (It) did not change him genetically. So the Jew-Gentile divide is not a genetic one, it can’t be.”[9]

This idea of humanity as one “race” is affirmed as well by Dr. Thabiti Anyabwile, Pastor of Anacostia River Church in Washington, D.C.  He asserts:

“We may safely conclude that insofar as genealogy is concerned, the Bible plainly records that there is only one race. With regard to bodily properties like skin color, we may also conclude that, though differences exist, all people are made in the image of God—male and female; black, brown, and white; red-haired and black-haired. There is nothing about bodily distinctions that either disrupt the organic or genetic unity of humanity (Acts 17:26) or obscures the image of God in some groups with certain biological properties.

Strictly speaking, the Scripture knows nothing of our contemporary notion of “races.” People may have different skin color (or hair color), but they do not therefore belong to different “races.” The idea of “races” is, therefore, a fiction. There is but one human race descended from one parentage, all of whom are created in the image of God spiritually, rationally, morally, and bodily.”[10]

The Scripture forwards this idea elsewhere by treating humanity as one race of people who have been effected by sin through Adam, and who are brought out of sin by the man Christ Jesus.  The Apostle Paul stated in Romans 5:17-18 and 1 Corinthians 15:21-22, respectively:

“For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ!  Consequently, just as one trespass resulted in condemnation for all people, so also one righteous act resulted in justification and life for all people.”

“For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man.  For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.”

Elsewhere in his second letter to the Corinthians, the Apostle Paul expresses his view of the world as it is crystallized through the lens of new creation in Christ: “So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view…Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” (2 Cor.5:16-17).  In other words, the argument could be made that for Paul, and the other apostles, there were really “two” races within the one human one – the new creation “race” of the Church that exemplifies new life by the Spirit and the old creation “race” of humanity living in concert with the sin-stained flesh.[11]  This new creation is certainly made up of a broad array of skin colors, nationalities, and cultures of origin, but they are all now pulled into the redemptive work of God that has an eternal culture: the Kingdom of God.  While our distinctions in appearance and background and culture do not disappear – nor should they – they are, however, now yielded in unified obedience to the King and His Kingdom and modeled in peace, reconciliation, and justice.

This is the peace that Paul describes in Ephesians 2:15b-16 as he speaks of Jew and Gentile forming a new way of being human:

            “His purpose was to create in himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making peace, and in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility” (emphasis mine).

The purpose of God was to remake a people.  Humans who were Jews and humans who were Gentiles could put their faith in Jesus and become a new kind of humanity.  It is no wonder that some early church fathers referred to believers in Jesus as a “third race.”[12]  This does not imply that our ethnic identity or culture are unimportant – they are and should be valued – but just that they are not primary anymore.  It is Jesus that we now identify with more than our whiteness or blackness or brownness.  Our whiteness and blackness and brownness remains – and beautifully so! – but it is transfigured in the primary identity of the new humanity we find in Jesus. 

This Biblical and theological vision of humanity as one race, and the work of redemption in Christ as yielding either new creations of humanity or the continued existence of old creations in humanity, is imperative to shape our minds and hearts toward a gospel-saturated view of humanity.  But though the Biblical writers represent only one race of humanity, they are equally clear that many ethnicities and cultures are represented in the world at large, and in the global Church.  These are the places where believers must put the “one-another” exhortations of Scripture into practice – by listening, endeavoring to understand and appreciate each other in the beauty of our different experiences and backgrounds and ethnicities, and each bearing the burden of the other while encouraging each other toward maturity and sanctification in Christ.

Ultimately, Paul’s teaching on ethnic reconciliation in Christ in Ephesians chapter two must be understood in terms of the outgrowth of that reality that he records in chapter three.  This new humanity, this new unity in Christ from different ethnicities, is for the sake of demonstrating His manifold wisdom to everyone everywhere for the sake of His glory.[13]  Unity in the Body of Christ is fundamental to the mission of the Church in the world, and would prove especially powerful in this national era.

For the majority Caucasian congregation, it would do well to remember that Jesus was not white.  In our current parlance, Jesus would be called “brown” were He living in the United States.  Thankfully, Jesus doesn’t save based on His skin color, nor on ours.  Jesus loves black people.  Jesus loves brown people.  Jesus loves white people.  This simple truth should remind us that we will do the same to the degree we allow His life in us to live out through us.  And I think it would be fair to say that if the Church of Jesus Christ is harboring animosity or hate for people based on skin color or culture, then God help us all.

Practical Steps Toward Reconciliation and Peace

Where does a congregation begin?  I suppose the answer to that question will, in large part, be understood by where a congregation is beginning from.  If a congregation is not as diverse as their geography, maybe it is time to ask better questions of how that congregation can be serious about the commission of Jesus to disciple the nations (ethnicities) not only around the world but in their own local circles of influence.  But this must go beyond simply asking questions, it will have to become intentional and actionable.

Actions for Consideration:

In his book, The Color of Compromise, Dr. Jemar Tisby suggests an “ARC” to reconciliation and healing[14]:

1. Awareness - At some level, the Body of Christ must educate one another on how the Scripture speaks to these issues, and the teaching of the Scripture must captivate the hearts of the hearers.  But alongside understanding some of the Biblical and theological issues related to reconciliation and healing among brothers and sisters who are different than one another, the majority Caucasian congregation must understand helpful relational paths forward.  This requires us to read outside of the places and experiences we have been conditioned in, and to read some brothers and sisters of color to understand how they see the world through the lens of the gospel from the place they are standing.  As well, education on the history of our nation – both the good and the bad – must be understood in order to better engage, understand, and share the burdens of our brothers and sisters of color. 

Questions to consider:

1. What steps have we taken individually or collectively as a congregation to increase our understanding of those unlike us in the Body?
2. What voices from people of color in the Church are we listening to that can help us to see blind spots in our thinking or understanding?

2. Relationship – If there is going to be meaningful change, then it will require meaningful relationships with people who are different than us. There are a number of resources toward this end that could be utilized in congregations (or cross-congregationally).  As one example, Latasha Morrison’s “Be the Bridge” might be a helpful, Christ-centered approach to build bridges of relationship that are strong enough to carry truth and love.[15]  We can either build a bridge or build a wall, and since the Apostle Paul already told us that Jesus has “destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility”[16] through his death and resurrection, we would be wise not to try and rebuild what Jesus died to destroy.

Questions to consider:

1. Do you have any intentional relationships with brothers and sisters in Christ of color?  If not, why not?  Do you understand this to be an outgrowth of the gospel?
2. Can we accept that although following Jesus may call us to very difficult assignments, the act of befriending people unlike us in the Body should not be considered as either difficult or heroic?

3. Commitment – For the Body of Christ to see lasting change, it will require long-term commitment.  White Christians must understand that they have the advantage of walking into conversations about justice and equality, and then walking out of those conversations.  Our brothers and sisters of color do not have the same privilege.  To bear one another’s burdens well, we must be committed to walking with our brothers and sisters of color for the long haul – even when it’s uncomfortable or challenging or we misunderstand one another.  This includes commitment to one another when there is a national conversation about racial tension.  This includes commitment to one another when any act of injustice is perpetrated for the nation to see.  This includes commitment to one another during seasons of heated political rhetoric.  Our commitment to one another must be based on our unified citizenship in the Kingdom of God that came about only through the redemption of the Lord Jesus.  And that commitment can help us, together, to work toward gospel-centered solutions to injustice and animus, whether those solutions are policies, reforms, structures or individuals. 

Questions to consider:

1. Do we recognize the greater mission related to reconciliation among the different parts of the Body; namely, that our unity is for the purpose of unified mission?
2. Are there systems or structures that need to be considered in the local church that help prevent some ethnicities from being marginalized (like in Acts 6)?

Conclusion

As mentioned at the beginning of this article, these thoughts are offered in humility and grace.  The ideas above are not even remotely exhaustive.  They are a beginning.  And they are a challenge: to myself and others like me who want to honor Jesus and His gospel among all the peoples of the world.

I echo Paul’s prayer to the Ephesians for us all:

“I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better.  I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and his incomparably great power for those of us who believe.” Ephesians 1:17-19a