Homily for Racial Justice Sunday

Homily for Racial Justice Sunday (Galatians 3:26-29)
Originally given 17 February 2022 at St. Alban’s Church, Coventry

‘Jesus loves the little children,
All the children of the world.
Red and yellow, black and white,
They are precious in his sight.
Jesus loves the little children of the world.’

One of my earliest memories about Jesus was this song. My grandmother, who had sworn off religion because of the abuse she suffered in the name of religion, taught me this song… with the help of a Ray Stevens video. She knew that although humans had managed to corrupt the institution she grew up in, nevertheless, Jesus was love. Love without borders. Love without conditions. 

The Galatians reading from Racial Justice Sunday emphasises that the love of Christ goes beyond any human differences. This isn’t to say that difference is something bad or to be avoided. In God’s wisdom, she created diversity and then deemed creation with all its diversity to be ‘very good.’ Recognising difference is not in and of itself a bad thing. However, when we use that difference to treat others as inferior we then corrupt the beautiful image of diversity that God originally created. 

I know quite a few white people who say they don’t need to talk about racism. They say racism doesn’t affect us, especially when we’re surrounded predominantly by other white people. What’s the point of preaching about racism to a group of white people? 

I suggest that a group of white people is the most important place to preach about racism. Black people already know the evils of racism which haunts them beginning  with their earliest memories and doesn’t cease until their final breath. Black people already know they are more likely to be stopped by police, more likely to be arrested for a crime they did not commit, more likely to die by the hands of the people who are charged with their protection. Black people already know the pain of microagressions coming from the lips of people who proclaim, ‘I have a Black friend’, or even worse, those who say, ‘I’m not racist, but…’ Nothing good ever comes after but.

The fact is it’s us white people who need to talk about racism. We need to strive to be more than ‘not racist’, we need to be ‘anti-racist’. We need to take responsibility for calling out racist words and actions among our friends. We need to take responsibility for dismantling racist structures in our society. As white people we need to recognise the privilege we have. 

Now I know a lot of people, especially working-class people, are uncomfortable with the word privilege. In saying we have white privilege, I am not saying we’ve never had struggles. I personally know what it is like to go to bed without a meal or to sleep on a mattress at a friend’s house because I had no home of my own. But even in the worst of times, I still had white privilege, because even though I faced challenges, my skin colour was not one of them. The colour of my skin has never prevented me from getting a job, or getting a house, or getting into higher education. When I read history books, I don’t see pictures of my ancestors in chains or getting sprayed with water hoses. My grandmother didn’t have to be escorted to her primary school by armed guards because of her skin colour. This is what white privilege means. 

As Christians it is vital that we talk about racial justice, because we worship a God of justice. Ours is a liberative faith which does not allow for chains of any kind. In Christ, we are all one, and we must work to create a world in which we are all treated as one. 

Sermon on Luke 4:16-21 and 1 Corinthians 12:12-31

Sermon on Luke 4:16-21 and 1 Corinthians 12:12-31
Given on 27 January 2019 at Studley Parish Church

Some of you may be familiar with the story of the Rabbi’s gift. To tell it briefly, there was once a monastery in decline. The abbot, greatly concerned about its future, visited a Rabbi who lived nearby in order to ask for his thoughts and advice. The Rabbi said that while he empathized about the decline in the church and spiritual belief, he had no advice for the abbot. On parting, the Rabbi said only, “The Messiah is among you.” The abbot went back to the monastery and informed the monks: “The Messiah is among us.” As they prayed and contemplated what this meant, they questioned who among them might be the Messiah.

Each of the monks were very different, with different temperaments and different flaws, but also different gifts and different talents. With time, the monks began treating each other and themselves with more respect, knowing that the Messiah was one of them. As they began to hold each other in higher regard, people outside the monastery began to take notice. Eventually, the once declining monastery became active and lively, with new members enthusiastically joining.

The point of my retelling this story is to highlight two important aspects: One, we are all unique with our individual gifts bestowed by our Creator; Two, once we recognize and accept the gifts and talents within ourselves and others, we fulfill God’s promise.

Today we draw from two readings: 1 Corinthians 12:12-31 and Luke 4:16-21. The first reading focuses on unity and diversity in the body of Christ, or among Christians. The second is about Jesus Christ fulfilling scriptures in His hometown of Nazareth. On face value, these are two very different readings with different objectives. But if we delve into them, we can find a connection that makes the two appear as if they should always be read together.

Let’s look first at the 1 Corinthians reading. These verses were written by the apostle Paul at a time when there was much discord and disharmony within the Church. If you heard Alan’s sermon last week, he spoke a bit more on this topic and how these readings within our current political and social climate are actually quite apt. I won’t go into that today, but I’d like us to look at verses 12-14: “Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many.” Paul then goes on to say in verse 27, “now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.”

Just like the monks in that monastery, each of us as Christians within the Church have a role to fill. Furthermore, within society as a whole we all have our unique contribution. This may be our vocation, that which we are called to do as our profession. Sometimes it is simply a hobby, something we do in our spare time. Although we may not all find that dream job we wake up every morning loving to do, we do all have a purpose, and there is no purpose too small. Just as every part of the body whether big or small works together to help make us fully functioning beings, every role we uniquely fill helps the world to endure.

This brings me smoothly to the second reading, Luke 4:16-21. In this reading, Jesus proclaims what His unique role is. Jesus is come to bring “the year of the Lord’s favour”. What a glorious pronouncement. And it is so fitting that this is found in the gospel of Luke, which is referred to as the “gospel of joy”. Favour and joy – two concepts we may be struggling to see at a time when the world seems so chaotic and cruel. Perhaps, it is because the world has become exceptionally dark in recent times that our liturgical calendar should fall on the readings from Luke, the gospel of joy. The fact is, we can find hope in Jesus’ announcement in verse 18 that He will bring good news to the poor, proclaim release to the captives, recovery of sight to the blind, and let the oppressed go free. Even in the darkest of times, Christ has come to restore light, to bring us the year of the Lord’s favour. By stating to everyone His gift, Jesus is fulfilling God’s promise to heal a broken world. In the same way, when we accept our gifts and recognize the gifts of others, we help make the world a better place. We bring the world closer to the Lord’s Prayer of “Thy Kingdom come”. When we use our gifts and respect that everyone has a part to play, just like the monks from the story, we will grow more confident in Christ. And our confidence will shine as a beacon into the darkness of the world and bring others to our warmth.

Thus, once again, when we look at the two readings side by side, one is telling us we all have a singular contribution to make to the world. The other says we fulfill not only our purpose, but God’s purpose when we embrace our role. So, let me leave you with this thought: Are you pursuing God’s purpose for you? Amen.