Daily Encouragement

“And all who have been united with Christ in baptism have put on Christ, like putting on new clothes.  There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male and female.  For you are all one in Christ Jesus.  And now that you belong to Christ, you are the true children of Abraham.  You are his heirs, and God’s promise to Abraham belongs to you.”  (Galatians 3:27-29, New Living Translation)

The U. S. holiday we observe today honors both a man and a movement.  The power behind both the man (a Christian clergyman) and the movement (rooted in the black American church) was the Gospel of Christ Jesus.

Humanity’s propensity to divide; to discriminate based on those divisions; and to elevate one group above another, is evidence of our corrupt nature.  The antidote to this poisonous practice is the acceptance of — and obedience to — Christ Jesus.

It is important to note that the movement for racial equality in our nation did not begin in the courthouse.  Neither did it begin in the statehouse.  Also, it did not begin in the schoolhouse.  It began in the community of Christ: The Church; and it was sustained by the Holy Spirit of God through incarcerations, through beatings, through bombings, and through murders.

As disciples of Jesus, we should never forget that the Civil Rights Movement’s anthem, “We Shall Overcome,” was sung in the worship services and prayer meetings of the Christian faithful long before it appeared on popular music play lists.

Only in Christ Jesus is there true equality of persons.  This message is both our heritage and our future.  – Luther