We care...confession and repentance

Compelled by Christ's love and empowered by the Holy Spirit, we extend Christ's compassion to those in need.   We care.

As we seek Christ and his heart of compassion, we must recognize the ongoing need for confession and repentance on this quest to really care for our neighbor in need.

I opened up the Word of God this morning and read from Daniel 9 and Nehemiah 1.  Both Daniel and Nehemiah cried out to God in lament as they confessed and repented of their personal and collective sins as God's people.

To the White Evangelical Church, I'd like to propose that we cannot learn to authentically care about or effectively walk with the vulnerable and oppressed in our communities until we are broken by the ways that we as individuals and the Church have not cared, and in fact, are often the oppressors through the systems we maintain in order to keep grasp of power and privilege.

I'd like to propose that we must also be willing to examine how very deep the evils of racism go...by taking a look through American history and by taking a look at our racialized society today.

If we are skeptical that there is need for confession or repentance on our part, we have only to examine the large degrees of separation between our churches and the needs of our community, between our lack of sustained relational connection between whites and people of color, between the materially resourced and those in material poverty, between how we live and how Jesus lived.  

I believe one of the starting places toward caring is to be broken by how we have not cared.

"When I heard these things, I sat down and wept.  For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven.  Then I said:  "O Lord, God of heaven, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with those who love him and obey his commands, let your ear be attentive and your eyes open to hear the prayer your servant is praying before you day and night for your servants, the people of Israel.  I confess the sins we Israelites, including myself and my father's house, have committed against you. We have acted very wickedly toward you.  We have not obeyed the commands, decrees and laws you gave your servant Moses."  Nehemiah 1:4-7

"I turned to the Lord God and pleaded with him in prayer and petition, in fasting, and in sackcloth and ashes.  I prayed to the Lord my God and confessed:  'O Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with all who love and obey his commands, we have sinned and done wrong.  We have been wicked and rebelled; we have turned away from your commands and laws.'"  Daniel 9:3-5