Matthew 3:2 New Living Translation
“Repent of your sins and turn to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near.”
Repentance means to make a 180 degree turn in your life. It doesn’t always occur in an instant, but is a life-ling journey of change. Racism is a sin that has plagued our nation and things will not get better until we see repentance and live a new normal. I want to suggest five steps white folks must walk through on their journey towards reconciliation…
The Great Awakening: This is the awareness that there is a race problem. One of the privileges of being white is one does not have to think about race. With the public killing of George Floyd and rise of public protest there has been a great awakening among many white folks to the reality of racism in our country. But awareness is simply not enough. There needs to be a New Normal in race relations.
Beyond the Great White Hope: White people love to fix things. Often when white folks realize there is a race problem in our society, they ask what they can do. White folks need to see reconciliation as a journey, a life-long journey instead of a task to be completed. Reconciliation calls for a new way of living.
Oh Crap I’m White: Moving from Guilt to action. On this journey many white folks get overwhelmed when they begin to see the unjust policies and practices created by white folks. It does no one any good to sit in pity and to beat oneself up. We are all created in the image of God and we all have a role in making this world a better place for us all.
The Choice: Repentance or Rejection. Another privilege of being white is that we have the option of quitting when it comes to racial reconciliation as things get hard. At any point, white folks can reject moving forward in the journey of reconciliation and return to life as it was… the old normal. Racism is sin and our society is in a mess, we are in need of repentance. Repentance is taking up one’s cross, denying self-comfort and building bridges and walking a journey that builds authentic relationships with others.
Ubuntu: Building Beloved Community. Ubuntu is a word used throughout Africa that refers to the interconnectedness of humanity. MLK Jr stated, “I cannot be all that I need to be until you are all you need to be. And you cannot be all that you need to be until I am all that I need to be.” We all need each other! There is no new normal without building authentic relationships with people who are different. Reconciliation is learning to value and learn from differences in others. We are called to repent… to repent and turn to God, in whose image we are all created.
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