jumpingjersey

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Tag: reconciliation

When does a person become a Supreme Court Justice?

June 4, 2020 /

When does a person become a Supreme Court Justice?

Is it when they are nominated to the position by the President and confirmed by the Senate?
Is it when they were appointed to a lifetime appointment on the Federal Bench?
Is it when they went to work for a prestigious law firm?
Is it when they served as a clerk for a Supreme Court justice?
Is it when they were admitted to a top law school?
Is it when they were admitted to their undergraduate institution?
Is it when they graduated from high school?
Is it when they attended a well funded and supplied elementary school?
Is it when they had access to health care and food on the table as a child?
Is it when their parent was paid a livable wage?
Is it when their mother had access to prenatal care?

The answer is, YES, to all of these. And the break in any one link the chain can close the door for a person sitting on the bench. When we speak of systemic racism, it is a recognition all of life is a connected system, and injustice in one link can have dramatic implications on another.

I am not a fan of affirmative action. I think that a person should be selected based solely on their skills and ability to perform the job. I think that colleges should not be required to admit certain students but should be allowed to choose the best and brightest regardless of skin color or gender. I think that employers should be allowed to have workforces that are made up of the best for the job and not be required to consider race or gender in their hiring practices. I think that the color of a person’s skin or whether they are male or female should not matter. We should base these opinions solely on who is the best for the job.

So what do we do when we see a lack of diversity in the workforce, on our college campuses, in government jobs, in the pulpits of our churches? We say the reason a woman, a Hispanic or an African American, was not hired for the job is that none applied, or there were none qualified who applied. And it is true. But it also hides another truth. The reason none were qualified is that none were given a chance to be qualified.

I wish I could say that left to themselves, employers, healthcare, church, and education systems will choose to do what is right. But we know better. Left to ourselves, we will all choose the path of greatest comfort and familiarity. A way that will not open the door.  A path that will draw red lines around who is in and who is outside of our community. It is for these reasons these programs are put into place. On our own, we will remain blind to what we must do and have been doing.

When does a person become a Supreme Court Justice . . . today.

Blessings,
Stephen

Today’s resource is the video Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man shared with me by a friend. The video is produced by Emmanuel Acho who is a former NFL Player and current ESPN analyst. Acho answers many of the questions we have. Watch it HERE.

Let Love Roll

July 17, 2015 /

peace

On the night that Jesus was betrayed, as he washed his disciples feet and became a servant he said these words to his disciples: “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (‭John‬ ‭13‬:‭34-35, ‬ NIV) It is funny that he would call it a new command. For the three prior years of active ministry he would live out this command to love one another and he would call his disciples to follow his example. On this night, however, love would become unmistakable.

What is love? Paul would tell us so eloquently in 1 Corinthians: “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.” (‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭13‬:‭4-8a, NIV)

Racism is deeply embedded in our country and its effects are felt on many different levels. It can cloud our vision and cause us to see what is not there to be seen. My challenge to each of us is that we engage each other with love. When we are tempted to make comments in social media or share another’s words ask yourself if your words are words of love to the “other side.” When one’s actions do not make sense, ask yourself what the lens of their life might be which would cause them to respond in the way they did. One does not have to agree but we must understand for without understanding we have no hope for reconciliation.

The stakes could not be higher for Christians. By our love for one another the world will know that we are followers of Jesus and by our unity we will demonstrate to the world that Jesus is God (John 17:23). The reverse is also true for those of us who call ourselves Christians, our lack of love demonstrates are not truly Jesus’ disciples and our disunity give them a reason to question Jesus himself. Ultimately true reconciliation in the hearts and lives of people can only happen through the reconciling work of Jesus in each of our lives.

Finally, I want to share with you a resource I would highly recommend. It is the autobiography of the civil rights worker, John Perkins, Let Justice Roll Down. As I read in these pages how his brother was murdered by a sheriff’s deputy in 1946. Then as I read of members of his church being loaded into a police van that did not go directly to the police station but instead stopped along the way to beat the people in the back. I was again struck by the similarity to today’s events. Through poignant words and a deep conviction for reconciliation through the good news of Jesus Christ, John Perkins has much to teach us.

Blessings,
Pastor Stephen

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