Racism & Bigotry

Matthew 22:36-39 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?” Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

Galatians 3:28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

PRAYER:
Father, we have been trained up – often according to our culture – and we have adopted beliefs about ourselves and others that violate your most important commandments. Our culture has episodes and roots in historical sin of prejudice, bigotry, violence, and murder against some races, and people groups. Lord, we ask Your forgiveness. We need Your mercy and grace, Your blood to wash us of our national sin. We break the power of this historical sin over the present, and we ask for a sovereign love to take its place. Remove the stain of this sin from our culture and renew a right spirit within our people. Sometimes, bigotry stems from family and cultural values. Sometimes we are completely unaware. We show prejudice and bigotry when we think we are better than another, whether it’s race, our sex, obesity, intellect, status, poverty, politics, or religion. Yes – even between churches. We confess this as sin. We are all created by You; called according to Your purpose, Lord, You have called us to love our neighbor as ourselves! This is a tall order. We have thought more highly of ourselves and our own kind than of others. Forgive us as a culture. Break the bonds of wickedness that have wrought these wrong beliefs in us. We are all sinners, saved by grace!

Father, forgive me for beliefs I have harbored in my heart that violate your most precious precepts of loving my neighbor as myself. Now, Lord, examine my heart and bring to my awareness beliefs that I have harbored, hatred that I have justified, and how I have not loved others the way You love me. I need your forgiveness, and I need your help to renew a right spirit within me. Change my heart O God! In Jesus Name Amen