Black Lives Matter

Text: Hebrews 13:2

Focus: Overcoming racism

Function: To help overcome racism

Form: Lecture

Intro: Story of 2 hippies at Evergreen Restaurant.

• One time, I preached on John 13:35 “Known by our Love.” I told people to look wait staff in eye and ask how they are today (and then tip well).
• Got to restaurant after my family and asked them if they took my instructions and they said something like “Did you mean us, too?”
• I laughed, just as waitress walked up, so I filled her in on the humor and she was appreciative of our sensitivity.
• And then a couple of -well, hippies is the only way to describe them- were seated next to us. The waitress turned around, greeted them and they looked her in the eye and asked her how she was to which she replied:
• “Oh, you must go to his church!”

Sometimes when we are “family,” we don't think it involves us as well.

I have told you of the times that I believe that I have entertained angels according to our passage.

But the passage is a reference back to Abraham who entertained 2 Angels and the Lord in Genesis 18.

God called God's own self “Abraham's friend” and therefore, disclosed God's plan to Abraham.

Abraham was a wandering Armenian with no place and no real home, yet.

And yet he quickly sees travelers and jumps to entertain them.

And in so doing, God blesses both him and Sarah and by the next year, Sarah, who is 89 and Abraham, who is 100 have a baby together.

He welcomed the strangers.

The couple we almost/hopefully still will/ get are Muslims from Somalia.

They are black and they are Muslim.

They are very different from us.

And, their lives matter.

Back to my opening antidote. Sometimes, family believes that they are exempt.

I thought that it was funny that the ones who looked the less like good Christians look in Lancaster Co, PA, were the ones who acted very Christ like.

I was also very pleased that the waitress, whom I knew pretty well because I was the local Diner's pastor, found it plausible that people who looked like that, especially in Lancaster Co, PA, the origin of Amish Country where dress identifies everybody in very specific ways, would be the kind of folks at the church I pastored.

Diversity is important to our Christian witness and outreach.

If Jesus meant it that the true test of disciples was love for others, then the wider our love, the greater our obedience. I think it is just that simple.

How comfortable will/would we be if our Somali family decided to worship with us?

Could we pray with them?

I had to go to Lansing yesterday where I met Ken at a shop and with whom I shared sermon ideas yesterday.

I was talking about Black Lives Matter. I asked him if perhaps in a predominately white Church, but a church passionate about justice, should I say “why” in small capitals in the printed bulletin in order to explain it without prejudicing my audience before hand.

His response was good, but surprising. He acted like there is no problem. He gave me an answer that made me feel better, and I hope he was honest with me.

You see, the movement, Black Lives Matter, seems to be important to discuss this Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Sunday.

I expect that at Thanksgiving and Christmas tables the very mention of the words “Black Lives Matter” was taboo.

In my family, when it was said, the very quick response was “all lives matter.”

To which I said, would you prefer either phrase “black lives matter too?? or “black lives matter also?”

You understand, don't you, that this is what it is about?

But, in order for us to ensure, to make certain, the point gets across, we will be satisfied when the recipient is also able to answer with “Yes. Black lives matter.”

Why is that distinction important in the conversation?

And btw, this is not politics, I know that some are making this political, but the fact is, politics is stepping into every area, and so, we cannot speak about anything without some politicians taking polar opposite positions.

While they play their games, we will continue to examine truth and culture from Jesus' teachings? Amen?

So why is simpler form BLM important to the debate:

• Because with disproportionate rates of incarceration of black men for the same offenses compared to white men.
• Because of the way a black woman dies in custody after failing to use her turn signal.
• Because a young man was killed by a police who mistook a bb gun for a lethal weapon. We understand the difficulty of community police and their challenges, but that is why we trust them, and not some good guy with a guy, to protect us, -they are supposed to be trained to make that split second decision and they are much less likely to use the deadly force option if the child had been white.
• Because a group of white men can occupy federal land in a treasonous act, with several guns, but a black man carrying a bb gun in Wal Mart executed because some white person was so afraid of him that he incited his death and literally scared another customer to death.
• Because white mothers do not have to have “The Talk” with white sons about that black mothers have to have with their black sons about how not to scare white people into killing you!

I talked to a guy I know from the hood. His name is Mike. Mike is 25 and the father of 2. He has a felony conviction for possession from when he was 18. He honestly wants to provide for his family.

But he has one resource, and that is selling drugs.

Now, the illegal drug trade is both violent and oppressive. I am vehemently opposed to it.

But in Ohio, where Mike lives, a group of 5, wealthy white men wanted to form a legal oligopoly over the sale of Marijuana in exchange for the decriminalization and release of 10's of Thousands of black men.

Here is the thing about that. As much as I hate and resist and do not support the illegal drug trade, the Ohio Legislature is willing to let big money interests decide whether or not those who are in jail because of the criminalization of Marijuana should stay or be released.

If it is about money, then why are thousands of young men in jail?

When Black lives matter, all of these injustices against black men and families will be eliminated.

Mike's dilemma is the perpetual cycle, and a worse part of this story is that the business that he has will be undermined by wealthy interests.

Again, the illegal drug trade is a terrible blight on our culture, our criminal justice system and the safety of our entire culture. I oppose it.

But the war on drugs has become a war on black men.

All lives matter means that those with different cultures and ideologies have equal protection under the law.

And that starts with the Church informing the world that Black Lives Do indeed, matter.

Hebrews 13:²Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it.