Prejudice, Injustice and Christ.

The last few weeks have been eye-opening, heart-breaking and challenging. I believe all of these things are necessary, but it is devastating that today, the lives of the Black community are still being taken. But like I said, I believe we needed to be made aware, made uncomfortable and challenged to address the way we think and live. God created all people, he made us all different; in appearance, personality, talents, purpose… God intentionally made us different. Yet, in this world we have created a hierarchy based on skin colour. This was not God’s plan, and this is not what the word of God teaches. Yet, many of us carry around and act out prejudices that we have against people of colour. In doing this we deny the truth of the Bible and live our lives selfishly, cruelly, unjustly.

The last two weeks have pushed me to look at my life, my prejudices and how I need to walk more like Christ. My immediate family is interracial and so is my wider family. All my friendship groups are diverse by culture and race. My church is diverse and actively embraces it. I have been blessed to grow up in a world around me where diversity is the norm. I grew up knowing that all people are to be loved, valued and are worthy. I grew up being taught how to actively treat people in that way. However, life isn’t perfect. I was bullied in school for many years by a young black girl. That experience developed prejudices in my mind about other black females. I began to make pre-judgements about black girls/women – if they displayed the same look, personality as her – then they must be like her. Now, this prejudice could have led me down a path of destruction. But by the grace of God my family, my church showed me this wasn’t the way. I learned to acknowledge my fears based on my past and actively put them aside to love and accept the person in front of me. We can’t avoid prejudice sadly; we all have them. To be honest, it’s not wrong to have these notions about people when we’ve been through things. But what is wrong – is when you take them and use them against others. Jesus was clear with us; we may have these judgements, but we need to let them go and we need to walk together.

I am sharing this experience because I want to challenge you, I want you to think about the judgment you hold. I want you to take those judgements and respond like Christ would. I know that as my life goes on, this won’t be the last judgement I make. But I can promise that I will never let a bad experience or judgement lead me to treating someone as if they are less than me or anyone else. I want to walk like Christ – that means that I need to treat all people and I mean ALL people with love, support, encouragement, respect, honour, kindness and generosity. We should never make a distinction about who we choose to love. I don’t care what the person looks like, sounds like, what their past is or what society says about them – I am going to love them.

This world needs Jesus. We need to be like Jesus – to truly be people who treat others the right way, we need to live Christ’s way. I also feel it is so important to go back to my point at the start. God intentionally made us different!! Our differences are what makes us beautiful, wonderful and amazing. In church we know our differences is what makes us work. We should be different, and these differences should enrich us. This movement is calling for us as Christians to remember this passage:

1 Corinthians 12:12-31

Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many. Now if the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? But in fact, God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. If they were all one part, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, but one body.

The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!” On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the parts that lacked it, so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.

Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. And God has placed in the church first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, of helping, of guidance, and of different kinds of tongues. Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret? Now eagerly desire the greater gifts.

We all make up the body of Christ, the church and we would not be it without diversity. So, we should be actively ensuring our lives and churches reflect this. We should also stand with those in the body who are hurting. That is why I am standing with the Black Community as they hurt. But this is not just a movement response, I have been ignited to stand against injustice in every form. We are called here to care for all members of our body – that is all the people of the world. I pray that I may continue to be aware, moved and changed. I pray that I will walk as Christ truly called and that I will keep my eyes open to injustice, so I may do my part in standing against it and fighting for justice. I hope that in my sharing of my experience and of sharing scripture, you may be moved to live Christlike and to actively address your prejudices.

It takes active prayer, reading the word and dedication to live a life that loves all. I do hope that you will join me in this journey of active love.

Faithfully,

Becky