From the moment you were kidnapped and taken from your home country, along the lengthy and arduous ocean voyage, to the moment you landed in America, to when you finally arrived at your final destination in a place you did not know. Spend some time reflecting on and praying about each of these questions: Jesus, all power and authority belong to you. The cities were where immigrants and the working class resided. Similarly, Lincoln University, the nation’s first degree-granting HBCU, was founded by a Presbyterian minister and his wife, John Miller Dickey and Sarah Emlen Cresson. Christ is risen. We also hope to facilitate conversations in which African Americans can be a part of developing substantive solutions in repairing centuries-old fissures. Ogbu, Liz. It was the Samaritan who stopped and invested his time and money to bring healing to the man who had fallen upon unfortunate circumstances. Make a plan to share what you have learned. As I change my mind, I will change my behavior and make restitution for the damage my previous thinking caused. Johnson, Walter. Does this change the way you think about repentance? Thank God together for your family legacy—offer gratitude and repentance for those who have gone before you. When the expert on the law asked “who’s my neighbor?” Jesus tells the story of a man who was on a road that was known to be dangerous. One tool of discrimination was the practice of redlining, which was common in the property appraisal and mortgage industry. At the foot of the cross, we are praying: “Lord, heal our land.”, We are lamenting: “Lord, heal our wounds.”, We are surrendering with these words: “Lord, I repent.”. my understanding to see as you see. Father, I confess my desperate need for you. Come, let us rebuild from the dust together. One of the best ways to overcome division is through communion with the “other.” Presbyterian pastor Lingon Duncan explained that racism was not even on his radar until he befriended black pastor and church planter Thabiti Anyabwile. [3], In a similar vein, critic and writer C.S. Where have we sought to dehumanize or objectify another because of their gender or race? Neighborhoods where black people lived were rated ‘D’ and were usually considered ineligible for FHA backing. Lord, my God, come with the breath of Your Spirit and revive me again. And thank you for the opportunity to join you in your work of reconciliation. As we find Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, we find a companion in our suffering. When we all said “amen,” the rain instantly stopped. Sadly, it often seems when addressing the issue of racial injustice, many white Americans truncate the Gospel into one focused on individuals and ignore its structural elements. "[37], Empson's view is complex. Of course, the enslaved person had little or no legal recourse. [39] In both Paradise Lost and Paradise Regained, Milton incorporates aspects of Lucan's epic model, the epic from the view of the defeated. Will they sacrifice? State Prisons.” The Sentencing Project, June 14, 2016. He was once the most beautiful of all angels,[citation needed] and is a tragic figure who famously declares: "Better to reign in Hell than serve in Heaven" (1.263). Shall I acquit the man with wicked scales and with a bag of deceitful weights? Our Messiah was “despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not” (Isaiah 53:3). Perkins, For them, racism can be relegated to an unfortunate relic from a dark past that occasionally makes intermittent cameo appearances. When you come together, it is not the Lord’s supper that you eat. Additionally, statistics also show that about 73 percent of white families own homes compared to only 45 percent of black families (Shin 2015). Before Baltimore, Charleston, Minneapolis, and D.C. Before Freddie Gray’s death, nine casualties at Mother Emmanuel AME church, the Castile murder, and Terrance Sterling’s slaying. To know what it is to be held in his arms and to be upheld by his voice. Give me your mind to act with wisdom and boldness, in Jesus’s name. In what ways might your grief over these things produce the fruit of repentance, a change of mind and actions? Known for his religious paintings, prints and brightly painted street scenes of everyday life in Boston, the Annunciation to the Shepherds portrays the angel in priestly robes, with a definite contrast between the night scene and the light of the star and new birth. And see if there be any grievous way in me and lead me in your way everlasting (Psalm 139:23–24). And it is the resurrection that makes “thy Kingdom come” now possible. As he finishes his speech, however, the fallen angels around him become hideous snakes, and soon enough, Satan himself turns into a snake, deprived of limbs and unable to talk. He will be faithful to come and to breathe upon the works of our hands. and LeVar Burton. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker House Books. Or have you been silent in the face of another’s oppression Silence is believed to be a self-portrait. Then they seized him and led him away, bringing him into the high priest’s house, and Peter was following at a distance. Beverly Engel, the author of The Power of Apology. reading Bryan’s book, Just Mercy. You can imagine Jesus’s compassionate sadness as he tells Peter what will really happen: “Will you lay down your life for me? Boston: Beacon Press. Amen. In what areas is God inviting me to give up privilege and pick up servanthood? We are taking this time to learn and to pray through this devotional so that we can ask God to forgive, cleanse, and heal us. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press. Credit line: Harvard Art Museums/Fogg Museum, Jakob Rosenberg Fund. She recalled her childhood fascination with sculpture, “One day, I was mixing the clay and I saw the imprint of my hands. Without words, Jesus reminds Peter who is hiding in the shadows: you are a part of this. In her solitude she is deceived by Satan. And today, give me the humility and courage to be an ambassador of reconciliation and transformation—first in my own heart and then in my family, church, and community. The Dream King: How the Dream of Martin Luther King, Jr. Is Being Fulfilled to Heal Racism in America. To have a Christian response to race, we must embrace the call to see the other and then respond and change our speech so that we are culturally sensitive to the other. Before we even verbalized the question, God had already answered it. Even if one builds a structure in the name of God, the best of intentions can become immoral in idolatry. Milton used the flexibility of blank verse, its capacity to support syntactic complexity, to the utmost, in passages such as these: ....Into what Pit thou seest Amen. Lord, thank you for the miracle of historically black colleges and universities. 22:7). Thank you for unveiling my eyes to see where I have been blind. New Haven, CT: Yale University. You have faced life’s central test…‘Not my will, but Thy will be done.’ And when you can cry that, you stand up amid life with an exuberant joy…Even though you stand amid the giant shadow of disappointment, you don’t despair because you know God is with you” (King 1957). The Repentance Project was born out of grief and desire. 2019. “Progressive Governance Can Turn the Tide for Black Farmers.” American Progress, April 3, 2019. Father, forgive us, for we know not what we do. Churches became rallying points for community, culture, and eventually civil rights. A responsible neighbor exchanges the pronouns “those” and “them” for “we” and “us.” It is in this spirit of humility that we can lament together with our neighbors about how peace and prosperity have been precluded for them. While the author placed Adam above Eve in his intellectual knowledge and, in turn, his relation to God, he granted Eve the benefit of knowledge through experience. according to their respective Numbers, which shall be determined by adding to the whole Number of free Persons, including those bound to Service for a Term of Years, and excluding Indians not taxed, three fifths of all other Persons” (U.S. Const. Blank verse was not much used in the non-dramatic poetry of the 17th century until Paradise Lost, in which Milton used it with much license and tremendous skill. Read James 2:1–9 (below) in light of racism and voting discrimination. To read the posts below, click the corresponding tab. How does your heart align with God’s heart concerning unjust measures? Some of the latter’s most notable leaders were known for their vehement defense of the “peculiar institution.”. For these words. I will also do what I can to promote communities of equality, justice, reconciliation, and love for one another. When was the last time I gave up my right to be right and used my time, energy, and creativity to try to truly understand the other? The Rev. The extent to which Eve is present with or interested in Raphael is unclear. Let the light of your presence shine on me; examine and transform me. Let God speak to you in the story of Daniel. Why has he come to set us free, literally and spiritually? Amen. How is the Bible calling you to forgive or repent? Each day will begin with a personal invitation to return to the vine through prayer and scriptures. If the rubric by which we evaluate a community’s development is contingent upon these factors, then one would surmise that gentrification is a success. We have a calling. Her priests have done violence to my law and have profaned my holy things. For what do you need to grieve? They were building in the midst of naysayers and antagonists who hurled insults and threats against them: “Now when Sanballat heard that we were building the wall, he was angry and greatly enraged, and he jeered at the Jews. In Jesus’s name. The people of God, regardless of cultural norms, are always called to affirm human dignity and live generously. How do we respond to the call to repentance in love—especially when another’s history of pain and suffering may be different from our own?   I WANT TO listen, learn, and better understand how the perpetuation of systems that leverage benefit for some and pain and disadvantage for others, continues today. When examining the relationship between Adam and Eve, some critics apply either an Adam-centered or Eve-centered view of hierarchy and importance to God. In his forward to Zealous Love: A Practical Guide to Social Justice, Eugene Peterson calls this “sentiment” and he contrasts it with compassion: “Feeling sorry for the victims of injustice is not a prophetic act. Where have you sensed discomfort or conviction as you read today’s reflection? How might you be tempted to treat people as sources of support for your interests? Even before you decided to take this journey, we have prayed for you. Lord, thank you for empowering me to be strong and courageous. How can we express our grief and sorrow in a manner that leads to personal transformation and eventually acts of repair? However you choose to come, returning to the vine is personal and not prescriptive, so feel free to use the prompts we’ve provided or not. 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