This week has been a tough one for our nation and our world.  We have seen new expressions of racism, violence, and death.

As I talked to my kids this week about the rise of racism, violence and death, they asked me how we should respond.  I thought that was a great question that deserves a hearing, so I thought I would share my answer with you.

As I think about fulfilling our role in the world as Christ’s church, I am more convinced than ever that what the world needs from us is to live differently.   Here are the two ways I encouraged my kids to live differently:

1. Stand Up Against The Evil Of Racism To Reveal God’s Divine Embrace

As a white male, it is especially important for me not to be silent on the issue of race.  I need to stand up against all those who would seek to keep others out while they reap the benefits of society.

In this way, I can express God’s divine embrace of all people.  I can tell the story of his love for humanity.  Christ’s sacrifice demonstrates God’s embrace of all his beloved children.  Paul and Peter understood God’s divine embrace by welcoming into the church not only the Jews, but also the gentiles.  Anyone who counters God’s divine embrace, counters God’s purpose because God is drawing all people to himself.

Rev. 7:9   After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb.

2. Sacrifice In Order To Extend God’s Justice & Mercy

Racism has been a long standing problem, and it has left a wake of destruction in our lives.  How can we restore the brokenness that racism has caused?  We can restore the brokenness of racism by learning to extend justice and mercy to those most effected by it.

God does not tolerate rebellion against him, and he has given his judgment.  However, the surprise is that God personally took on the punishment for our crimes through the cross.  Christ’s sacrifice also gives us access to the mercy we need to belong to God again.  When we confess that we need Jesus to be the substitute for our personal wrongdoing against God and others, we are restored.  As a result of this restoration that we get from Christ’s justice and mercy, we find that it creates a humility in us.

This new found humility that comes from receiving Christ’s justice and mercy, allows us to extend to others the justice and mercy we have received from Christ.  The difficult part of extending God’s justice and mercy is that it always demands that we sacrifice something in our life to give it to someone else.

As part of the majority white culture, I feel challenged to sacrifice in order to provide justice and mercy for those who have gone without it for too long.  I can commit to sacrifice my words, in order to listen to what minorities have to say.  I can commit to giving up my agenda, in order to help someone with theirs.  I can commit to setting aside my needs, in order to help others with their needs.  Through these sacrifices, I can learn to extend justice and mercy to those who have gone without it.

Micah 6:8 He has shown you, O mortal, what is good.And what does the LORD require of you?To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.

So in answering my kids questions about what we can practically do to represent Jesus in our world, I have challenged us to live differently by:

1.  Standing up against racism in order to reveal God’s divine embrace

2.  Sacrificing in order to extend God’s justice and mercy

How have you been talking to your followers about the events of the past week?