Only the Gospel Can Heal

It was just a month ago that I attended the Juneteenth Celebration hosted by Pastor James Hailey and Allen Chapel at Standish Park.  I hadn’t known much about the history of the day and I was grateful that the City of Galesburg was able to have such an informative and inspiring event.  Pastor Hailey was gracious enough to even invite me to deliver the Scripture reading from Psalm 126, part of which read, “They that sow in tears shall reap in joy.”  And, indeed, the event was a joyful experience. 

What struck me the most about Juneteenth in Standish Park was the proclamation of the gospel.  Over and over, whether in stories, testimonies, songs, or preaching, the power of the love and faithfulness of Jesus Christ was heard.  As a pastor, I have ears to hear it, of course.  But the message of the Good News could not be missed on that blessed afternoon. 

A lot of water has passed under the bridge since the racial unrest of the 1960’s and 70’s.  Much progress has been made and yet, we still have social inequity and injustice that are often manifested along racial lines.  Martin Luther King died 53 years ago and, while much of his vision has been realized, much remains to be done.  MLK was an American Baptist Pastor and his message and vision came from deep within his gospel-formed soul.  While others were promoting violence and hatred, King refused that natural inclination and, instead, taught and demonstrated the supernatural power of love that emanated from his spiritual walk with Jesus.  He famously said, “"I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear."  Knowing the power of the gospel that flows from the radical teaching and self-giving example of Jesus, MLK redirected his followers away from the rage and violence that was tearing the nation apart, "Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into a friend." 

I was excited to hear the gospel on Juneteenth because in most of our national discourse today, Christianity is being aggressively criticized and marginalized. The Church is seen as hypocritical and hateful.  It is true.  The Church isn’t perfect. To our shame, there are many instances of hypocrisy, power politics, and blatant injustice.  But that’s not the fault of Jesus.  Those instances which fall short of Christ’s teaching are distortions of the gospel.  If you really want to know what Christianity is about, read one of the four Gospels.  The message is summarized in the well-known words of John 3:16: “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son…”  The gospel’s essence is love. 

There are narratives today in our culture that seek to right the injustices that we still experience.  On the surface, the intention seems to be good.  But they aren’t based on love.  It’s not too hard to see that most of the social programs that come from the heart and imagination of people are typically conceived to gain political power.  It doesn’t matter if these programs come from the Left or the Right.  It seems to me that they’re designed, in the end, to gain power for the promoters.  But the words of Jesus are radically different: “You know that those who are regarded as leaders [are constantly seeking power over others].  Not so with you.  Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all.  For even [I] did not come to be served, but to serve, and give [my] life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:42-45).

I’m so glad that Juneteenth is now a national holiday.  I pray that the core message of love that came from Jesus, found a spokesman in MLK, and is alive today in the black church will begin to flow and heal our troubled land.