Sermon for Racial Justice Sunday 2013

Martha George
Equality representative for the Church of Christ the Cornerstone

Sunday 8 September 2013

Deuteronomy 30: 15-20 and  Luke 14:25-33

These books address the law

Much has been discussed during the latter part of August, concerning the famous speech given by Martin Luther King in the United States of America. I HAVE A DREAM. Racial Justice does not concern skin colour. God created one race the human race. It is about you, it concerns the way you treat yourself and others. The entrance song sung by the choir ‘Lord how long will thou be angry’ began with a haunting sound of injustice. We are to be just to ourselves and to others.

The reading is taken from the book of Deuteronomy which is the fifth book of the Old Testament. The book of Deuteronomy concerns the Law. God commanded YOU MUST LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD; YOU MUST LOVE YOURSELF; YOU MUST LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOUR. Without love there is no justice.

If you do not love the people you can see you cannot love God the Lord has said if you do not love the people you can see you cannot love ME. Whatever you do to each other you do to me. Deuteronomy 30 verse 15-20 refers to the choice between good and evil, love between life and death. Love is goodness; hatred is evil. Life is justice; death is injustice. The Lord has commanded that if you love me keep my commandments’. My commandment is that you love yourself and one another. I shall refer to the opening song sang by the choir which ended in joyful song, the song of justice, the song of victory.

In the early life of the church the ministers thought it important that you have a voice, and have taken the necessary step to provide you with a representative. I am that representative, should you experience any problem please let me know; I shall try to address it, if I cannot then I will take it up with the Equality Council

In Luke 14 vv 25-33. Luke presents Jesus as the Saviour of the whole human race. Jesus turned to the people who followed him and said ‘those who come to me cannot be my disciple unless you love’. You are a disciple by your actions.

Jesus experienced injustice during his time on earth. On the cross he cried out I thirst! He was not thirsty because he was dragged along the streets, he was thirsty for you, he was thirsty for Justice; Work on yourselves so that you can give your best. I encourage everyone to be committed to love, when you go home give yourselves a pat on the back and say I LOVE MYSELF.

When I was a child I was rude to one of the servants at home and mother called out to me and said: "The servants are not your subordinate. If you are rude to them they will spit in your food. We have the money we are not able to do the work because we don’t have the time. They do not have the money but they have the time and can do the work, it is simply and exchange."

My mother was saying to me that it is not acceptable to be rude to others, not acceptable to treat others with indifference and certainly that the servants are not inferior. We are all equal, we are created by God’s hands and He made us the way he wanted. We have to accept the way He has made us, we did not have a choice in way God made us and we ought to love ourselves the way we are. We will be dead for longer than we will ever be alive. Death has no prejudice, it takes all. Why don’t we like each other? God has commanded us to love, why don’t we listen? When we begin to love we will be just to each other. If we love each other there will be no wars no fighting each other. Just as a child uses his colouring pencil and is happy with the result it is the same with God he is pleased with what He has created, He said unless you become as a child you cannot enter the kingdom of heaven. I urge you to be kind to yourself, love yourself and one another love God, and as you leave when the service is over, leave marching in the light of Christ, you will be filled with the power of the Spirit because you are soldiers of Christ.