Again I'm glad to share this from our Executive Director Matt Hamsher...
The Evana Network is not in the practice of issuing official
statements or pronouncements on the current political and social issues of the
day. In this day of hashtag activism
when it is all too easy to tweet one’s personal views and assume you have done
your part, we instead urge our churches and our members to seek out ways that
they can make a concrete difference in the communities in which we live,
worship, and witness.
However, remaining silent can sometimes be interpreted as a
statement all on its own. Faithfulness
to the example of Jesus Christ compels us to say unequivocally that the death
of George Floyd and so many other persons of color grieves the very heart of
God. It is the very definition of
injustice for people to lose their lives, face discrimination and prejudice,
and live in fear and sorrow because of the color of their skin, the language
they speak, or the place they were born.
The words of Isaiah 1:16-17 (ESV) to the nation of Israel offer a
prophetic call to the church today:
“Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your deeds
from before my eyes; cease to do evil, learn to do good; seek justice, correct
oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow’s cause.”
Our call to repent begins with the confession that many of
us have stood silent as we have seen others mistreated, abused, and threatened
in large and small ways. Instead of
defending expressions of privilege, we commit ourselves to forgo our own
interests in order to open our hearts to other Christians, especially brothers
and sisters in Evana and in the wider church who are feeling stress, frustration,
and pain right now, in order to listen, to learn, and to love. As Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 12:24b-26
(ESV), “But God has so composed the body, giving greater honor to the part that
lacked it, that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may
have the same care for one another. If
one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice
together.” Right now, we are all
suffering and grieving together over the death of George Floyd who was a part
of the body of Christ (https://www.christianitytoday.com/news/2020/may/george-floyd-ministry-houston-third-ward-church.html).
As followers of the Prince of Peace we call on our churches
and our members to build relationships and seek reconciliation that invites
transformation by the power of the Holy Spirit rather than opposition created
by posturing for personal or political advantage. As evangelical Anabaptists, we seek to
participate in the work of God that challenges the injustice of the status quo
and invites the in-breaking of the kingdom of God, the beloved community to
which God both calls us and promises to us (Isaiah 11:1-10; Revelation
21:1-4). We cry out to God to wash the
blood from our streets, to bind up our broken hearts, and to grant us the
courage to stand together against the evil and injustice in our world.
“May the Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face
to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon
you and give you peace.” (Numbers
6:24-26, ESV)
Matt Hamsher
Executive Director, Evana Network
Comments
Post a Comment