Week 1
Becoming a People of Racial Reconciliation

 We’ve all had a rough spring; I think you might agree.  We’ve faced COVID19 fear, toilet paper greed, lockdown isolation and Zoom fatigue, distance learning and technology learning just to name a few.    And then, one after another, scenes of racially motivated killings that left us seeing what we could never say we didn’t see, and knowing what we could never again say we do not know.   Our hearts cried out in anger and pain as we stood up, kneeled down, and bowed low before God in lament and prayer. 

And so, we find ourselves here, at the start of summer, wishing it was all over, knowing it is not,  and hearing loud and strong voices arguing from every side.  But listen! Listen closer to another Voice calling:

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.

Take my yoke upon you and learn from me,

for I am gentle and humble in heart

and you will find rest for your souls.” - Jesus

Matthew 11:28-29 NIV

Rest for our souls? Yes please! The invitation comes like a cool breeze on a sweltering, hot day and I am reminded of another promise:

I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you.

 I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart.

Ezekiel 36:26

 A tender and responsive heart, one that is gentle and humble like Jesus. Could that lead me to a restful soul? A stony hard heart turned to a pillowy soft one – like a soft dinner roll.   I remember the image that repeatedly appeared as I prayed this past Spring: a large wicker basket filled with smooth hard rocks which transformed into soft, delicious dinner rolls.  At the time, it seemed to be a picture for The Vine but I wasn’t completely sure what it meant.

Could this be what God has been up to through all of this tough season? Has he been using the pressures of the season to soften our hearts? And are we being invited to press in even more to our gentle, humble Teacher so that our souls can find rest?  As a pastoral team, we think so.

As Pastor Michael has already said, this fall we will be pressing in to learning more about race, racial justice, and becoming people of racial reconciliation. God has heard the cry of the oppressed and we have heard it too. “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble” (James 4:6) and we will certainly need his grace as we allow his Spirit to search our hearts and learn to “weep with those who weep” (Romans 12:15).

So let’s join together, Church Family, in taking time this summer to prepare our hearts by learning humility and gentleness from our Teacher who describes himself with those adjectives.   We will need our pillowy soft hearts of gentle humility for the hard work we are called to this Fall.

Each week throughout July, we will take a look into humility and gentleness through this weekly email.  We hope you will engage with the reflection in the presence of Jesus,  companion with him in the weekly practice, and pray the daily prayer knowing it is being prayed corporately by your church family.  So even though we are still separated physically, we are joined in the Spirit and in intention - like an all-church summer retreat!

Shall we begin?