Thursday, Dec. 28 pm
Alex
Gee
There is no worship without reconciliation
Alex Gee had perhaps his hardest assignment of the week: to lead the assembled in a time of corporate repentance of racial sin. He was to follow Brenda Salter-McNeil's talk on the sin in our hearts.
"Are we ready?" he asked. "In worship our mess comes out. Are we ready to face it and repent?"
With the graciousness that always accompanies his hard words, Pastor Alex reminded us that our location on this journey is not as important as the direction of our steps. He told us not to look all the way down the road, but merely to look three feet ahead. We need to move forward in racial healing and not get paralyzed by the fear of failure.
He also refused to use his oratory gifts to manipulate our emotions:
"Repentance is not feeling guilty. Repentance is a turning of the mind, and an obedience of the heart. If I confront you, it is merely a man who has made you feel bad. But true repentance is initiated by the Holy Spirit to the glory of God. "
Repentance of racial sin, as Alex helped us to understand, is more than a mental deliberation; it is the key to our worship.
"When Jesus said to leave your gift at the altar and go and be reconciled to your brother, [Matthew 5:23-24] he was saying that there is no worship without reconciliation "
Next, Alex addressed the white people in the audience. When white people realize the doors that are opened for them by the color of their skin, he told them, they should not put aside that privilege. Instead, they should take advantage of the special access they have to power to bring others to the table.
His comments dovetailed with an earlier remark by Brenda Salter-McNeil and made increased the impact of his words. Refering to the book Divided By Faith, Brenda had observed that our monocultural churches are effectively segregated churches. Effectively, Alex was challenging us to desegregate our churches.
Alex then brought two friends to the stage: Steve Hayner and Ken Fong. In turn, each confessed their own racial sin and racial fears. Their humility and honesty were an example for us, as Alex asked us to get on our knees in prayer. As we silently brought our sin before Jesus, the hope for our forgiveness, Alex, Steve, Ken and Brenda extended their hands to those who had responded to Alex' call for champions for racial reconciliation.
After we were dismissed, the characteristic mirth of the departing crowd was noticably absent. Our hearts were burning with the presence of the Lord. It was hardly fun, but it was good. The evening was moving and powerful, and it bore the hope of forgiveness, worship and love.
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