We often refer to the angel Gabriel appearing to Mary in Luke 1 as “The Annunciation.” But, according to my friend Hanh at the Sacred Heart Jesuit Retreat Center, there are two annunciations: one to Zechariah in Luke 1.5 – 25 and other to Mary in Luke 1.26 – 38. The main lesson is that Zechariah did not believe while Mary did. Here’s the relevant paragraph on Zechariah:

Zechariah asked the angel, “How do you expect me to believe this? I’m an old man and my wife is too old to give me a child. What sign can you give me to prove this will happen?” Then the angel said, “I am Gabriel. I stand beside God himself. He has sent me to announce to you this good news. But now, since you did not believe my words, you will be stricken silent and unable to speak until the day my words have been fulfilled at their appointed time and a child is born to you. That will be your sign!” (Luke 1.18 – 20, Passion Translation)

There are some interesting contrasts:

• Zechariah was a religious professional, a priest; Mary, a young (lay) woman. The professional didn’t believe; the layperson did.
• In Bible history, there are stories of “old-age” conceptions, most notably Abraham. There are no previous stories of a virgin birth. The event for which there was precedence was disbelieved while the new, unique event was believed.
• One person needed a sign; the other did not.

What should we be believing God for?

• An end to the COVID-19 pandemic?
• Real progress in race relations?
• Both current events leading to real changes of heart among us all?

What’s stopping us from believing? What would belief look like?

[Abraham] did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform. (Romans 4.20, 21, NKJV)

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen…By faith Sarah herself also received strength to conceive seed, and she bore a child when she was past the age, because she judged Him faithful who had promised. Therefore from one man, and him as good as dead, were born as many as the stars of the sky in multitude–innumerable as the sand which is by the seashore. (Hebrews 11.1, 11, 12, NKJV)

With the more recent news of racial unrest, our attentions seem to have shifted away from COVID-19, which is still with us. A Navigator friend of mine posted this poem, written by Sarah Bourns, a disciple-maker and seminary student in New York. She says about herself and her role at a church plant, Hope Midtown in Manhattan: “I disciple and develop leaders and provide pathways for our congregation to encounter God in his Word and his world.”

Exposed
by Sarah Bourns

We’ve all been exposed.
Not necessarily to the virus
(though maybe…who knows)
We’ve all been exposed BY the virus.

Corona is exposing us.
Exposing our weak sides.
Exposing our dark sides.
Exposing what normally lies far beneath the surface of our souls,
hidden by the invisible masks we wear.
Now exposed by the paper masks we can’t hide far enough behind.

Corona is exposing our addiction to comfort.
Our obsession with control.
Our compulsion to hoard.
Our protection of self.

Corona is peeling back our layers.
Tearing down our walls.
Revealing our illusions.
Leveling our best-laid plans.

Corona is exposing the gods we worship:
Our health
Our hurry
Our sense of security.
Our favorite lies
Our secret lusts
Our misplaced trust.

Corona is calling everything into question:
What is the church without a building?
What is my worth without an income?
How do we plan without certainty?
How do we love despite risk?

Corona is exposing me.
My mindless numbing
My endless scrolling
My careless words
My fragile nerves.

We’ve all been exposed.
Our junk laid bare.
Our fears made known.
The band-aid torn.
The masquerade done.

So what now? What’s left?
Clean hands
Clear eyes
Tender hearts.

What Corona reveals, God can heal.

Come Lord Jesus.
Have mercy on us.

Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. (Psalm 139.23, 24, NIV)

Did you see that the new Chief of Staff of the Air Force is black? With all that’s going on, he had unanimous approval by the Senate, and according to the Washington Post, “He is honored and humbled to serve…” I like that attitude. He’s General Charles Q. “CQ” Brown, ROTC graduate of Texas Tech and fighter pilot.

I was sad to read that he has experienced racism in the military. I’ve always believed that the military was ahead of many civilian organizations: I’ve worked for black officers, worked with black officers, and had black officers working for me. But upon reflection, I have to confirm General Brown’s assertion that he was “often the only African-American in my squadron,” and as a senior officer, “the only African-American in the room,” as quoted in the NY Times. I never thought about how those black officers I worked with felt about being the only one.

I wish General Brown well, and I think we can learn from his attitude toward racial challenges:

I can’t fix centuries of racism in our country, nor can I fix decades of discrimination that may have impacted members of our Air Force. I’m thinking about how I can make improvements. – General CQ Brown as quoted in the NY Times.

We can’t fix centuries of racism in our country either, but we can think about how we can make improvements: drip by drip, living out the Gospel daily, and holy moments.

If you take away the yoke from your midst, the pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness, if you pour yourself out for the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, then shall your light rise in the darkness and your gloom be as the noonday. And the LORD will guide you continually and satisfy your desire in scorched places and make your bones strong; and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail. And your ancient ruins shall be rebuilt; you shall raise up the foundations of many generations; you shall be called the repairer of the breach, the restorer of streets to dwell in. (Isaiah 58.9 – 12, ESV)

He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. (Micah 6.8, NIV

I don’t often reproduce someone else’s story in full, adding little to nothing. In this case, there’s not much I can add. The author is Jason Robinson, who is with The Navigators’ Collegiate ministry in Minneapolis. I do not know him, but he’s my brother.

I’m 6’5”, in my late 40s, African-American, living in Minneapolis, Minnesota. So was George Floyd. He was a man of God who loved people and was always there for others. The same could be said about me. Then there was Christian Cooper, a Harvard educated man, successful writer and editor in New York City. I, too, am a college-educated man who’s served in vocational ministry for more than 25 years, building and leading multicultural ministries ranging in size from 50 to 5,000.

For all three of us, throughout our lives, we have encountered people who didn’t see any of the good things that make us who we are. They just see Black men who they perceived as threats and acted accordingly, the worst offense being the murder of George Floyd.

As Navigators who live by the motto “To know Christ, make Him known, and help others do the same®” we find racism in any form unacceptable, especially the systemic racism that contributed to the death of George Floyd, and it must not be tolerated. Because of our commitment to live, love, and lead like Jesus, we must take the lead on how to respond in a way that reflects the God we serve and that “helps others to do the same.”

For me, watching the video of George’s death hit me in a profound way because when I saw George, I saw myself. It sent me on every emotion one could feel, but at the end of it all, it re-affirmed the call that is on my life. As a Christ-follower I should have the same compassion that Jesus has, not only for those like me who have been victimized, but also for those who are caught in the trap of sinful thoughts and behaviors.

What that looks like over the next days, weeks, and months is yet to be determined, but what I would like to see is a full-on commitment by the people of God to action. No longer being silent, but active in demonstrating and living out the top two commands God calls us to: to love Him and to love our neighbor.

The love and outpouring of compassion toward me is refreshing, encouraging, and greatly appreciated. My friends, family, and supporters understand that it could have been me! My prayer is that it motivates them to do something. I am committed to helping them learn what God would have them to do going forward. For those that don’t know God, I am committed to helping them know God. And for all, I am committed to helping them do the same for others.

“To know Christ, make Him known, and help others do the same.” I’m a Navigator. It’s what I do. – Jason Robinson [link added]

How would Jason and other black brothers read these verses?

Do you think this is the kind of fast day I’m after: a day to show off humility? To put on a pious long face and parade around solemnly in black? Do you call that fasting, a fast day that I, GOD, would like? This is the kind of fast day I’m after: to break the chains of injustice, get rid of exploitation in the workplace, free the oppressed, cancel debts. (Isaiah 58.5, 6, MSG)

[Jesus said, ] “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him. He began by saying to them, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.” (Luke 4.18 – 21, NIV)

Sometimes we need a break from serious discussions and a break from routine weather, if only for one day. It’s been hot here by Colorado standards. Yesterday it was over 75 degrees at my house, full sun, blue sky. This is what we woke up to this morning:

By the end of the day, it was blue sky and sunshine again, approaching 60 degrees. And, as I’ve written before about the weather forecasters, exactly as it was predicted at least four or five days ago.

He gives snow like wool; he scatters frost like ashes. (Psalm 147.16, ESV)

Fire and hail, snow and mist, stormy wind fulfilling his word! (Psalm 148.8, ESV) – We had stormy wind last Saturday!

The Church should be leading the way in all kinds of unity: racial, political, economic. From the beginning, the Holy Spirit demonstrated the ability to reach across cultural divides:

Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven. And at this sound the multitude came together, and they were bewildered, because each one was hearing them speak in his own language. And they were amazed and astonished, saying, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? And how is it that we hear, each of us in his own native language? Parthians and Medes and Elamites and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabians—we hear them telling in our own tongues the mighty works of God.” (Acts 2.5 – 11, ESV)

Our pastor Sunday marveled at Acts 2:44: “And all who believed were together and had everything in common.” He said, “They didn’t have anything in common! Except in the Holy Spirit.

The fruit of the Spirit is “love, joy, peace,…” (Galatians 5.22) while the works of the flesh include “…hatred, discord, fits of rage, dissensions, factions…” (Galatians 5.19, 20). A former pastor used to point out that the Spanish word for “devil” is “diablo” – the splitter. It’s the enemy’s nature to try to divide us: people from God and people from each other. It’s God’s nature to bring us together.

For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, by setting aside in his flesh the law with its commands and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making peace, and in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. (Ephesians 2.14 – 17, NIV)

I received a mass-distributed email from a Christian minister talking about the challenge of “racial reconciliation.” He made a point that I resonated with at first, then upon reconsideration, I have doubts. What do you think? Here’s what he reported saying to the congregation of a black church a number of years ago:

I asked them, and would ask you right now, to close your eyes and think about someone you know, I don’t care what color their skin is, where they are from or what they have done, that is radically in love with Jesus.  Someone who has Jesus’ blood pumping through their veins, a role model of what it is like to be truly intimate with God.  Then I said this. Please raise your hand if you can think of anyone who fits that description who has a racist bone in their body?  I have shared this story in dozens of places literally around the world and never seen a hand go up. So, dear ones what that does that suggest to you? Who do you and I need to be reconciled with? I asked them to say His name—they said Jesus. – A Christian Minister

What about the Apostle Peter? The man who said, “Silver and gold have I none, but in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.” (Acts 3.1 – 10) Peter walked with the risen Jesus, healed in the name of the risen Jesus, was commissioned by the risen Jesus to be a witness to Jesus “In Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1.8) And yet he struggled going to visit the Roman Cornelius in Acts 10, and even though he took up for the Gentiles in Acts 15, he had to be called out by the Apostle Paul for racist behavior in Galatia.

Later, when Peter came to Antioch, I had a face-to-face confrontation with him because he was clearly out of line. Here’s the situation. Earlier, before certain persons had come from James, Peter regularly ate with the non-Jews. But when that conservative group came from Jerusalem, he cautiously pulled back and put as much distance as he could manage between himself and his non-Jewish friends. That’s how fearful he was of the conservative Jewish clique that’s been pushing the old system of circumcision. Unfortunately, the rest of the Jews in the Antioch church joined in that hypocrisy so that even Barnabas was swept along in the charade. (Galatians 2.11 – 13, MSG)

Yes, I am a firm believer in the importance of our being deeply in love with Jesus, and although such a relationship may protect us from racism, it won’t necessarily protect us from racist behavior. I have written before about the possibility of being so immersed in our own times and culture that we exhibit blatantly sinful attitudes.

I need to love God AND love my neighbor and to do either, I must listen: listen to God AND listen to my neighbor.

And behold, a lawyer stood up to put him to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” He said to him, “What is written in the Law? How do you read it?” And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” And he said to him, “You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live.” But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” (Luke 10.25 – 29, ESV)

Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?” He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” And Jesus said to him, “You go, and do likewise.” (Luke 10.36, 37, ESV)

A few days ago, I saw my neighbor out in her yard with a camera. Why? There was an owl in one of her trees. The next morning, June saw the owl while walking the dog (which an owl could consider prey!). I got pictures of “the owl” on both days, and guess what? I think we have two different owls!

I don’t know what the lesson is other than a difference in opinion could come from a different perspective. Imagine if I hadn’t taken both pictures, but only the picture of the owl on the right, which I saw first. Then June describes her owl, and I say, “No, that’s not right. It’s a great-horned owl; I saw the “horns.” She says, “No. The owl doesn’t have horns.”

Answering before listening is both stupid and rude. (Proverbs 18.13, MSG)

The one who states his case first seems right, until the other comes and examines him. (Proverbs 18.17, ESV)

This may be the last post on the current racial tensions for a while, but this one allows us to end on a positive note. One of my friends is a retired American Airlines pilot, and his son flies with American now. The son sent his dad this post from Doug Parker, CEO of American Airlines. The story was picked up by various media, and you can read one account here.

But here is the story as told by Doug Parker himself. It’s long but worth the read.

A quick confession — I flew Southwest yesterday. I needed to get to Panama City, FL and all of our seats were sold out! But I’m glad I did, because I had a remarkable encounter.   As I sat in the boarding area I was suddenly thankful for the facial coverings, because no one recognized me (I’m not sure they would have anyway, but my ego attributed it to the mask). As I prepared to board, I pulled the book I wanted to read inflight from my backpack. The book is White Fragility — the book Marty Nesbitt recommended to Elise and that both she and Maya had recommended to all of us. It is fantastic — challenging, and educational — but I’m embarrassed to say I had only gotten halfway through it before the crisis hit, and hadn’t picked it up since. The horrific and senseless death of George Floyd reminded me there were bigger issues in our world than coronavirus, so I packed the book for the trip.   I boarded the aircraft and found an empty row in the back. I put the book in the seat pocket, logged into WiFi and began reading and sending emails without opening the book.   About an hour into our 90-minute flight, the flight attendant from the front of the aircraft leaves her position and walks back to me in row 25 and sits down in the aisle seat. My ego again assumes she has recognized me, mask and all, and wants to know why I’m flying Southwest.   But, no, she has no idea who I am. She is a young, black woman and she points at the book lodged in my seat pocket and asks, “How do you like that book?” I say it’s fantastic and defensively show her how I’m a bit past midway. She says, “It’s on my list to read and I saw you bring it onboard and I just wanted to talk to you….” And then she started to cry.   I felt wholly inadequate but I knew it was a special moment. The best I could do was tell her that the book talks about how white people are horrible at talking about racism, and that what we need are real conversations. She agreed. I told her I was trying to learn and through tears and a mask, she said, “So am I.”   We talked for a good ten minutes and it was an absolute gift to me. Toward the end, I felt compelled to tell her what I did for a living. I’m not sure why, but it seemed like I should tell this [Southwest] flight attendant (JacqueRae) that had sought me out, that I worked in the business, too. I’m glad I did, because she gasped and told me her mother works for us in DCA. Then she started to cry again and leaned across the middle seat and hugged me. She thanked me for listening and then went back up front as we prepared for descent.   Before we deplaned, I had a wonderful email from her mother, Patti, thanking me for comforting her daughter. I had done nothing, of course. JacqueRae was the brave one. I was sitting comfortably in the back sending you guys emails without thinking twice about what this young woman — and others like her — were going through. She was a gift to me.   I did my best to explain that to JacqueRae in a note I scribbled out on descent. Then I replied to Patti’s email. I’m just going to copy my note to her here, because it relays my emotions about this as best I can:     Patti,   Your daughter’s visit was a gift to me. She is a special young woman. She had the courage to approach me only because I was reading a book on racism in America. She, like most all of us, is questioning how we got to this spot and why we can’t be better. Her kind heart and open-mindedness were evident — you raised her well.   I had no answers other than to tell her we all need to talk about it more. She certainly left an impression on me. Reading a book is one thing — spending time with a kind, strong, young black woman who is hurting and trying to learn from others is another thing altogether.   After we’d talked for a while, I felt like I should tell her what I did for a living. The conversation was even more impactful when we realized we had you as a connection. (How did we let her go to Southwest?)   Thank you for thanking me, but trust me, I was the one who was blessed by that conversation. I am better for it and more resolved to do what I can to make the world better for people like her (and people like me). Thank you!   Doug     These are trying times. Our people are hurting. I’m not certain what all of the answers are, but I know it involves talking to each other. And listening. And it takes courage and leadership to start the conversation and to stand up for what is right. JacqueRae taught me all that.   Please get out and talk to your teams today. Bring people together, not apart. We need caring leadership now more than ever. Thanks.   dp   – Doug Parker, CEO, American Airlines

Again, as my black friend wrote a few days ago:

It’s a very very tough journey and we need as many people  as possible talking about Depth in Christ and living out the gospel every single day with everyone we meet.

The Apostle Paul wrote:

Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel. (Philippians 1.27, ESV)

But when Cephas [Peter] came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned. For before certain men came from James, he was eating with the Gentiles; but when they came he drew back and separated himself, fearing the circumcision party. And the rest of the Jews acted hypocritically along with him, so that even Barnabas was led astray by their hypocrisy. But…I saw that their conduct was not in step with the truth of the gospel… (Galatians 2.11 – 14, ESV, emphasis mine, poor behavior with respect to dealing with people of a different race isn’t new, and it’s “not in step with the truth of the gospel!)

For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. (Romans 1.16, ESV)

Continuing to think about race…

A friend of mine used to say that slavery in the past makes black/white relations difficult. After hearing many of my black brothers and sisters and reading about some things that are going on today, I don’t think that’s true.

It’s today’s injustice that needs to be dealt with. We see the big stories like the murder of George Floyd. We miss the little ones. Did you see the story of the white woman’s interaction with a Harvard-educated black bird watcher in Central Park? This isn’t a cop arresting a suspect; this is an ordinary white woman threatening a black man with death by cop just because he asked her to observe the plainly posted leash laws. Scary. 

I can walk into a car dealership, pick out a car, drive off with a loan and no money down in under two hours. My similarly educated black friends plan on it taking all day. 

My friend Rob Webster posted this on Facebook back on May 8.

There’s a lot of talk about privilege on Facebook these days. I thought I’d add something to the conversation.

I’m a white guy. I’m often blissfully ignorant of my privilege. It’s pretty easy to be unaware of it. But one area where I tend to be very aware of it is when I’m fishing.

Fishing is often a solitary activity. I go out alone all the time, and often at night. I don’t think many women would feel comfortable standing alone for hours on end at a pond at night. Most people who fish are men. There might be a lot of reasons for this, but I think one is just because of safety. I can only recall one time when I felt uncomfortable and unsafe because of people or activity around me. I don’t think I’d say that if I were female.

I’m also aware that the color of my skin gives me a pass. Sometimes I fish in HOA neighborhoods that have private ponds that I’m not supposed to fish in. But I know that I look like the people who live there, and it’s pretty unlikely that they’ll see me and think that I don’t belong. They’ll probably assume I live there. Every time I’ve fished at one of these, my white privilege has come to mind. Every time.

And then the police have shown up. It was just a little past midnight, and from the pond I saw them pull up behind my car. They got out, shined a light around in my windows, and were looking around. I packed up my stuff and started trudging towards them. I honestly didn’t know that the park closed at midnight. But I wasn’t fearful as I walked up. I just figured I’d talk to them and it would be no big deal. Which is exactly how it went down. We were friendly. I even told them I had some extra poles if they wanted to join me for a minute. It was only later that it occurred to me that I mightn’t have been so calm, so confident that a simple conversation could resolve this, if I were black.

I don’t know the solution for this kind of disparity. I do know we need to remember what my black friend whom I quoted yesterday said:

We need as many people  as possible talking about Depth in Christ and living out the gospel every single day with everyone we meet.

Maybe all of us should remember, as a black preacher told me years ago, “We used to sit in the back of the bus. If you and I were in Israel in Bible days, neither of us would have been allowed on the bus!”

Therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh, called “the uncircumcision” by what is called the circumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands— remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. (Ephesians 2.11, 12, ESV)

Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. (Romans 12.10, ESV)

Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. (Romans 12.15, ESV)