James Joyce said of history that is, “a nightmare from which I am trying to awake.” And the history that is unfolding around us does feel like a nightmare.
There is so much in this world that makes me feel powerless like political corruption, racial injustice and the systems that not only allow for oppression but sometimes actively encourage it. And all that was before COVID-19, the murder of George Floyd and the following month.
I mean I’m only one guy, I get distracted easily and I’m really busy with my kids so I feel like the only thing I can do is scroll through the news and social media.
But that is a lie.
History is not happening to us. Many of our founders were pompous white slave holders but they knew the greatest lesson, they didn't know everything so they left ways for what they passed to be corrected. When our leaders refuse to listen a collective voice must emerge from the streets and be revealed in the ballot box.
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History is not happening to the Christian church either. Yes, there are great forces working in this world but all of them are temporary. The good news of Jesus Christ is that every form of evil, injustice and oppression that present themselves whether as COVID-19, racism, corruption and even death itself will not last.
The way forward must not be a road map back to the way things used to be, but of faithfully discerning current situations, and responding accordingly. There will not be peace in our land if without drastic change and systemic changes. Those changes start with each of us. You and I don’t need to let history wash over us as we scroll on our phones. We can pray and vote. We can change.
Pastor Luke Nelson
Brainerd
