JR. Forasteros - June 24, 2018

We Can Be Held Responsible

The Way, Way Back

We like to think we're not responsible for anyone but ourselves. But God has called us to be priests - we represent God to the world. That has real stakes when we do it badly, as Abraham found out when he lied to Abimelech about the identity of his wife, Sarah. How do we find grace when we've failed to represent God to the world well?

From Series: "The Way, Way Back"

What's Summer without a road trip? We're travelling back to the stories of the Patriarchs - Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Joseph. They lived on the road, and in their travels, they encountered God in strange and unexpected ways. What do we learn about God on the road that we can't learn when we stay in our comfort zones? How might God be calling us to go somewhere new, following after our creator?

Manuscript     Discussion Guide

More Messages From JR. Forasteros...

Powered by Series Engine

In 2008, a group of the most prominent and influential white supremacists in the US met at a secret conference to plan how to “take back America”. One of the keynote addresses was given by 19-year old Derek Black, who hosted his own radio show and had just launched a white supremacy website for children. Derek’s father started the oldest and most popular white supremacist website and his mother was once married to David Duke – one of the most infamous racists in America. In fact, David Duke is Derek Black’s godfather. Needless to say, Derek was a pretty big deal at this conference. He was introduced as the leading light of the movement.

My suspicion is that just hearing a little bit of Derek’s story is enough to make your skin crawl. Since the sort of racism Derek and his movement advocate includes a version of Christianity that explicitly embraces white supremacy, I imagine that only further offends most of us gathered here for worship.

It’s safe to say that Derek is not a person you would want to invite over for a dinner party.

Which is unfortunate because a dinner party is what saved Derek Black’s life. Derek Black isn’t a white supremacist anymore. And the story of how he found his way out of a life of hate is a story of hope for all of us.

Because if someone like Derek Black, the leading light of the white supremacist movement, can be saved by a dinner party, then surely there is hope for all of us to be rescued from our prejudices, our blind spots, our toxic and false beliefs.

This isn’t about how we can be nice to white supremacists.

This is about how we can recognize the Derek Black in ourselves, and how we find freedom from and victory over those hateful parts of ourselves when we choose to open ourselves to that which scares us. Preferably over a meal.

If we can learn to listen to those we normally see with contempt, we can learn to see the God who chose to die for us… and invites us to imitate him.

Join us Sunday as we learn how choosing vulnerability helps us see who God really is.

Recommended Posts