Sermon Detail

As long as the church does not look like the place where we will live eternally, we should be uncomfortable.” Efrem Smith the Post-Black Post-White Church

· and we should – The church does not look like God’s kingdom in heaven nor does it look like God’s Kingdom on earth

"It is appalling that the most segregated hour of Christian America is eleven o'clock on Sunday morning." Dr. Martin Luther King
It is not simply appalling to me, not appalling to you, not just appalling to us…it is appalling to God. A diverse church is important to God as we saw last week in…

Revelation 21:1

He has given us a rather startling and creative picture of what he wants his church to look like:

¹ Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. ² I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God,
· this is a beautiful image of what Jesus prayed for Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Matthew 6:10
²³ The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp. ²⁴ The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it. ²⁵ On no day will its gates ever be shut, for there will be no night there. ²⁶ The glory and honor of the nations will be brought into it.
This is what God desires. …it is his dream – “the Beloved Community” Martin Luther King
Reminder: this is NOT something to look forward to at some point in the future…not something we pine for and wait for its appearing…this is the reality of Jesus prayer…”
… and this is not all that God has to say about the subject:
My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations. Mark 11:17
In the body of Christ “there is no Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.” Colossians 3:11
He tore down the wall we used to keep each other at a distance...Instead of continuing with two groups of people separated by centuries of animosity and suspicion; he created a new kind of human being, a fresh start for everybody. Ephesians2:13-14 MSG

· Friends, segregation and diversity are not just sociological matter as some suggested to me this past week – “blacks just wanna worship with blacks and whites with whites “

· And this is not a psychological issue dealing with white guilt.

· Nor is this a political issue as one man claimed – said I was “race baiting” and equated me with Al Sharpton. (that’s a first!)

· This isn’t even a geographical issue as some have suggested: Hamilton County = 300,000
o Blacks = 4% and non-whites = 14%
o but that equates to 12,000 black and 42,000 non-Caucasian (bigger than Westfield)
o That’s enough diversity for every current church in Hamilton County to be a Rev 21 church.

This is a spiritual/theological/missional issue, one we’ve ignored for too long.

We have been in non-compliance with the Bible!... And the very wishes of our savior, Lord - your kingdom come one earth as it is in heaven.
So…

How do we become a Revelation 21 church?
1. We have to deal with the racism within our own hearts.
There are two facets to racism: internal attitudes and external systems

Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates his brother is still in the darkness. 1 John 2:9
Admit it - Confess it – Repent of it (which means a change of behavior)

How do we become a Revelation 21 church?
2. We have to deal with systemic racism.
Efrem Smith the external: “Racism is prejudice plus power used to discriminate or oppress a group of people solely because of their race.” Efrem Smith, The Post-Black & Post-White Church

This is way more difficult. Systemic racism occurs when the way a society is structured systematically ends up giving advantages to some and disadvantages to others.

Here are some illustrations:

· The public school suspension rate among U.S. Black and American Indian students is almost three times that for Whites.
· Black, Latino, and American Indian children are more than twice as likely as White children to drop out of school.
· A Black boy born in America has a 1 in 3 chance of going to prison in his lifetime and a Latino boy has a 1 in 6 . White boy – 1 in 17

· A report by the Department of Justice found that blacks and Hispanics were approximatelythree times more likely to be searchedduring a traffic stop than white motorists.
· There is a gap in life expectancy of 4 years between black and white Americans.
· As of 2010, white families, on average, earned about $2 for every $1 that black and Hispanic families earned,
· By 2010, whites were about six times as wealthy as non-white families.

“The racial achievement gap is the greatest civil rights issue of our time.” Katherine Kersten (Minneapolis Star Tribune)

“Evangelicals are blind to the structural dimensions of the racialization of America.” Michael Emerson and Christian Smith, Divided by Faith

How do we deal with such mammoth issues?
1. We pay attention to them – do not turn a blind eye – and we pray. We must pray strategically

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Ephesians 6:12
2. We speak up when and where we can.
Learn to do right! Seek justice, encourage the oppressed. Isaiah 1:17
Help others not be blind to it…family, neighbors, sphere of influence, community leaders.
3. We partner with people who are dealing with these systems at ground level

· Shepherd,
· NYCR and Circle City Relief
· Safe Families,
· Food Rescue
· Good Samaritan Ministries
· Health Care Ministry
· Neighborhood Christian Legal Clinic
· Outreach Inc.
“I am persuaded that the Church, as a steward of the Gospel, holds the key to Justice in our society. Either justice will come through us or it will not come at all.” John Perkins, Founder, Christian Community Development Association
How do we become a Revelation 21 church?
3. We must emphasize our new identity in Jesus Christ through the power of the cross.
…the power of the cross to re-create us internally
…the power of the cross to make us new kinds of human being
"He tore down the wall we used to keep each other at a distance...Instead of continuing with two groups of people separated by centuries of animosity and suspicion; he created a new kind of human being, a fresh start for everybody." Ephesians2:13-14 MSG

This is the ultimate in re-humanization – the ultimate solution to hatred. You and me “one” at the foot of the cross…Sharing the blood of Jesus Christ.
The cross of Jesus obliterates inferiority, eliminates hate, eradicates fear, instill peace, create fervency, it infuses us with hope and captivates us with love,
How do we become a Revelation 21 church?
4. We must practice intense hospitality.

· Hospitality was a matter of life and death in bible days – today it has become a matter of style. To us it must feel more essential because remember – all people have 2 great needs: love and significance. Hospitality helps meet those two great needs.

So, how do we practice it?

Ø we must do basic greeting much better
o people assume that this big church is impersonal
o a person who is a minority assumes even worse – they won’t like me because I am different (strike 2)
o so we must go out of our way to greet well
o focus in on the people in our section

Ø we must form new meaningful relationships with each other
o research indicates that we gravitate toward people who are at least vaguely familiar but…that we also think they are more intelligent, better looking, and more honest.
o so…a “different” person is someone I cannot trust.

“Our homogeneity is like a cage surrounding our group, preventing us from becoming familiar with culturally different others.” Christena Cleveland, Disunity in Christ,

Ø We must break out of those cages! We must make new friends. We must stretch ourselves. If you do not you will stay locked in your cage.

Ø We must tell one another our stories … the beginning of healing and reconciliation.

· Tell my story!
o West PA in the 60s – hotbed of racial tension
o My grandpa at one time was in the KKK but later changed his life
o I did not grow up racist but I grew up racially nervous and uncomfortable.
o And then I had a a ha moment in college – while applying for a part-time job at predominately all white college overheard someone profiling me based on my last name.
o It’s happened numerous times since – people see things always through a racial lens.

o And then 7 years ago God did a very beautiful thing in our lives
§ Chris and Victoria Wilburn into our lives
§ And now…this is our family (Pic of our family – see attachment in Planning Center)
§ I can’t begin to tell you the joy that I have in my heart for how God placed us together as a family.
o That’s my story – what’s yours?
The better we know one another the more familiar we become…the more familiar we become…the more we draw close to each other…the more we draw close the more we’ll become a Rev 21 church.
REVIEW
· Deal with internal racism – confess and repent
· As much as within our power confront systemic racism
· Emphasize the power of the cross in creating new identity
· Practice intense hospitality
That’s what we can do individually but I also wanted you to know that we corporately have already begun working on this – Diversity Task Force

Music
· more diversity in worship style and worship leadership
Partnering
· Establishing partnerships with more diverse church and organizations
Connecting and communication
· Emphasizing higher visibility of diversity at Grace
Employment at Grace
· as God leads, increase the diversity of our staff
Leadership at Grace
· Pray that God would lead us to more diverse public leadership among our key teams and groups.
I’m happy to share with you the complete findings of the team.
Those are just some of the ways we are already at work internally, systematically to move toward a Revelation 21 church.

Conclusion:
It’s time we get in compliance with the Word of God.
It’s time we unite our hearts with His.
It’s time we take head on the broken place of hatred.
It’s time to show a skeptical, unbelieving world what the beautiful life in the Kingdom of God looks like.
It’s time we become the Beloved Community.