God and Race Bible Study Guide plus Streaming Video by John Siebeling & Wayne Francis & Beth Graybill

Author:John Siebeling & Wayne Francis & Beth Graybill [Siebeling, John & Francis, Wayne & Graybill, Beth]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperChristian Resources
Published: 2021-10-02T00:00:00+00:00

Read Luke 2:1–12; Matthew 2:1–12; and 2 Corinthians 5:17–21.

In this process of navigating open-handed conversations about race, we may not always get it right. When we miss it, it will be tempting for us to pass the buck. But we need to own our mistakes and commit to doing better next time. Blame is one of the great enemies of unity, for as long as we all refuse to take personal responsibility, we won’t make any progress.

When we read the Gospels, it’s clear that Jesus was a step ahead of everyone. He took responsibility for his own actions—as well as the actions of others when they were unwilling or unable to do so for themselves. When they persecuted him, he kept the peace. When Pilate questioned him, he remained calm. When he was being publicly crucified, he prayed for those who were punishing him. Jesus mastered this art and drew a diverse crowd around him. And that diverse crowd is what eventually became the start of the church.

Taking responsibility for racial reconciliation is one of the most important and liberating things that we can do. However, make no mistake, people will try to distort what we’ve said or disagree with our position on racial unity. But it’s not our job to win popularity polls. It’s our job to take personal responsibility for the racial injustices we see. It’s not our job to make people happy. It’s our job to keep this open-handed conversation moving forward. We are responsible for ourselves and what our social circle looks like. It’s our job to invite diversity into our homes.

So let’s not blame, pass the buck, or retreat when we don’t get it right. Instead, let’s commit to doing it better next time. The temptation to retreat into our homes as if they were our castles is real. We retreat, dig a moat, and pull up the drawbridge so that we can be the king and queen of our space. But God created us to be in community, and that includes taking responsibility for our actions and for inviting a diverse group of people into our space.

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