Today’s scripture: Isaiah 29:1-12 (NRSV) (The Message) (KJV) What might God be saying to me?
My thoughts (Linda Bernabie):
Today’s passage from Isaiah shows me that God judges between good and evil, right and wrong, and believers and non-believers. That means that God does not judge by the color of our skin, sexual orientation, ethnicity, or culture. God made us as a race of one, the “Human Race.” Humanity was created in the likeness of God, and Jesus was sent to lay down his life for ALL of the people in the world, without bias.
If God loves all of us impartially, then we need to love others with the same high standard. As a Christian, if you treat any person with disdain or prejudice, you are oppressing a person that God loves and for whom Jesus died.
I was raised in a prejudiced, “lily white” environment. At age 68, I have witnessed much racial, religious, and cultural unrest and persecution, but in 2016 I am witnessing a much deeper problem being revealed. Some people are hiding the depths of their prejudices and racism. Without confronting their feelings, they will never fully realize God’s plan for humanity. God wants more than just racial, ethnic, and cultural tolerance. God’s plan for us is to love and embrace all of humanity, not just tolerate it for the sake of political correctness.
Last summer, I received a call from a friend whom I have always admired as a “good Christian woman.” She had just read an article that stated, “By the year 2050, the ‘white’ majority in the United States will cease to exist due to racial mixing and immigration.” She was absolutely terrified! She sincerely believed her life would be negatively affected if her white skin would no longer grant her the privilege of “white supremacy.”
The fact is, mixing of the races is on the rise in America. As the intermarriage rate between members of different ethnic and racial groups continues to grow, we will see the concern for this issue diminish. As I look through my “rose-colored glasses,” I pray that someday God’s plan for humanity will be realized and our country will be of one heart and one color!
Unless some longevity drug comes along soon, I won’t be around in 2050, but, if I am, I hope I will look back at 2016 and say, “Why were people so afraid of America’s ethnic makeup. America is meant to be a land of equality and diversity, not a land of clans!”
One of my favorite quotations: No one is born hating another person because of the color of his [or her] skin, or his [or her] background, or his [or her] religion. People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite. —Nelson Mandela
We encourage you to include a time of prayer with this reading. If you need a place to get started, consider the suggestions on the How to Pray page.