God's Black and Brown People: Pete Mace

“When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying:

‘‘Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
‘Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
‘Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
‘Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
‘Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.
‘Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
‘Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
‘Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

‘Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.’” Matthew 5:1-12

Humility. Admitting to and understanding that we could, in fact, be wrong about a few things, and maybe we should listen to those who have more experience. How prideful we are to assume we know the experiences of the oppressed more truly than they know themselves. Admittance of sin and shortcomings when they are revealed to us, the ways we have failed our brothers and sisters in loving them. Seeking forgiveness and repentance. 

 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

A crying mother, watching her son hang. The wailing of generations of people forced into bondage, slavery, and oppression. We as the brothers and sisters of those who have been and continue to be hurt must learn what it means to mourn for a pain which we may never comprehend, which we have been a part of. 

“Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.”

Not powerful enough to fight back on their own, needing people around them to believe them, to support them. Needing us to believe and support them. We must be willing to interpose ourselves between the oppressor and the oppressed and, then, to turn the other cheek when the oppressor turns on us, as well. Not pushing back proclaims the Gospel more than any assault we could ever hope to launch.

“Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.”

Begging for Christ’s coming. For justice, for salvation, for those who oppress them to be brought low before the throne room. A crying out in the wilderness of a land to which they do not belong, in which they have no history and no allies.

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.”

Mercy, compassion shown towards someone whom it is within one’s power to harm. Something so easily withheld from those who need it. A choice for some, a requirement from Christ. Those who need mercy have not always done something wrong, but anyone who withholds it has. We are not the beginning, and we won’t be the end; our time will come, and we will wish we had been shown the same mercy we were asked to show.

“Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.”

No sin is too small, too trivial to keep us from God, to be worth repenting. Now truly, we cannot be sinless; we are fallen creatures. But turning a blind eye to our brothers’ and sisters’ cry, even in ignorance, stains the purity of God’s creation and of our relationship with Him. Just because we are not the ones committing the wrongdoing does not mean we aren’t doing wrong. We cannot be perfect, but we should strive to have a heart after God’s own.

“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.”

We are called to bring about peace in the name of Christ, but there can be no peace without justice. But justice does not mean punishment; that is God’s domain and His alone. We are to seek to make right what is wrong. To reconcile oppressed and oppressor and spread the Gospel to both.

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.”

Daniel, Peter, Paul, John the Baptist, James, Jesus. All of them were arrested or sent to prison. Christianity is inherently tied to political affairs, but that does not make us politicians. Imprisonment and death are brought down on those who subvert the ruling pagan power of the time; these days, it is just less openly admitted. One of the hardest calls God gives is that we be willing to lay down our mortal life in pursuit of our eternal one. 

 “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

The prophets of the Bible were not received by the masses. If you think that YOU would have been smarter than or different from the Pharisees or the masses who mocked Christ and the disciples, then I would encourage you to really examine if that is the case. Because if you can look in the eyes of God’s creation and tell them that they matter less or that their experiences or struggles are not important, then you may just have fit in well with a phylactery and long tassels.

“Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”

We struggle today, not against the same problems we did 2,000, 200, or even 20 years ago, but we still struggle. Christ’s tale and the tale of God and His people are ones of struggle. Struggle against the powers of the world, against those who would use God’s name and abuse it, those who would use and abuse His people. Some of us are still struggling more than others. Help our siblings in Christ, listen to their struggle, show them mercy, and help make peace. Before borders, before politics, before all of our own hang-ups and excuses we make to turn a blind eye to the man lying on the road begging for help, we are Christians. When we come to the presence of our God and the table of our Lord, we come not as Republicans or Democrats, not as Americans. We come with no pride, no strength, and no way to save ourselves. We have begun to mourn some of those lost, and though that process cannot possibly be fully complete in a single night, we now move to the table, focusing on Jesus’ saving power for us who are still living. He offers us all salvation and redemption through His Body and Blood. 

Amen.

- Pete Mace

Delivered at the Memorial Service for People Slain by Police, 1/19/21

Pete is a 2020 graduate of Louisiana Tech with a degree in Communication and is currently serving as a ministry intern for the year of 2020-2021. He is quick to bring a smile and laughter to the people around him and is an immense blessing to the Wesley community. He enjoys taking walks in the woods, grilling out, and loving his dog, Rocky.