Black Lives Thrive!
The following is a word to give some insight and strength to the body of Christ during these turbulent times.
Blessings,
Sarah MacLeod
The racial strife that is spreading across America right now causes us great sadness and concern.
Racial reconciliation began for Scott and I almost 30 years ago when we dove into inner city ministry after receiving God's heart for a neighborhood called John Henry Hale. A community decaying from hopelessness, isolation and pain, tucked away in the heart of Nashville,TN. Due to the devastation, it was nicknamed "Hell’s Half Acre."
We had to intentionally block out the media's negative narrative that fed fear and division as it portrayed our beloved African American community as nothing but dangerous. Instead we listened to the heart of Jesus Christ and as we embraced His perfect love, our fears were dismantled and we began to see the many treasures hidden in our community. During that time, the Lord gave me the scripture Proverbs 31:8, "speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves” and our ministry's strategy became Romans 12:21 which says, “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” By God’s grace, and the helping hands of thousands of volunteers from all walks of life, color, class, and nationality, we were able to help heal and support the John Henry Hale community. We saw a profound transformation come to multitudes of fatherless children, single mothers, and at-risk teens through love and compassion in action. This transformation did not come through one random act of kindness but thousands of selfless actions. It was through touching one life at a time and steadily nourishing that life until trust was built. Trust is the foundation for true healing to happen.
As I've been processing the times that we find ourselves in, I've realized that beyond all political agendas that manipulate people's pain, there is still an unhealed wound in much of the African American community. George Floyd crying out, “I cant breathe” has been a siren going off in our nation triggering an area of deep trauma that many African Americans identify with. For generations they have suffered from feeling silenced and without a voice. Even though the Civil War technically ended slavery in the 1800s, the sad reality of the unhealed pain has remained.
The root of the pain surfacing comes from a sin common to man, which is pre-judging a human based on their race, color, or class. I can speak into this as I come from a country with a generational history of prejudice. India's society lives in a caste system mindset (a system of dividing society into classes) where the underlying narrative is, "if you are poor, you deserve to be and thus are 'untouchable.'”
As a nation, we can't heal until we acknowledge the pain from prejudging brothers and sisters and oppressing them by making them feel invaluable based on their color or race.
We need to have hearts of understanding, not minimizing the pain, asking for forgiveness from our brothers and sisters. We also need to repent of walking in prejudice and no longer come into agreement with it. We need to have eyes that see one another with love and compassion. We need to begin seeing one another as God sees us - as infinitely valuable! So valuable that He would send His only Son, Jesus Christ, to die for us, saving us from sin and death and bringing us into eternal life.
Along with this, our African American brothers and sisters need to invite the powerful love of Jesus to pour healing into the broken places of their hearts. They need to receive God’s love and then extend forgiveness as well. Choosing not to walk in prejudice themselves, whether it be to a Caucasian, Asian, Native, or a fellow African. The truth is there is only one race… the human race! Whether we like it or not the reality is we are one family. We have to learn to appreciate this reality and celebrate the beauty of diversity the way God has created us. We are His masterpieces. Every piece (person) is valuable!
The only love that can make us one is the love of Jesus Christ that shed His blood for all of humanity, washing away pain, sin and healing our broken hearts. Let’s clothe ourselves with HIS righteousness and justice (Psalms 89:14) and lay a strong foundation in our nation. Lets do this with love, justice and compassion. Let’s not ignore our inner cities and those that are marginalized any longer.
We at Harvest Sound are believing for the greatest renaissance yet to come with black lives THRIVING not just mattering. Our African American brothers and sisters have a choice to receive healing from the pain of their voices being silenced. From that healing will be the power to break out of the mindset that says they are alone and unprotected. God is raising up a church full of love and compassion that will be the hands and feet of Jesus in our inner cities as well as other broken places in our land. His Church will put an end to the decades of social distancing, as we link arms with our brothers and sisters and build the bridge of reconciliation.
Application:
Let’s ask God for action steps to walk in the opposite spirit of judgment and be instruments of healing and love.
Let’s declare Isaiah 61 this week, “He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners...” (which is one of the foundational scriptures for starting Harvest Sound)
Be blessed!
Sarah MacLeod