Editor’s Note: As part of our mission to equip the local church and Asian American Christians, we are posting sermon excerpts, devotions, and prayers from our SOLA Council members concerning racism and injustice. We hope that these words would be challenging and encouraging to believers as we fight against the sin of racism.
This video is a compilation of excerpts from a sermon given by Kim Kira, the primary teaching elder at Lighthouse Community Church in Torrance, California, on June 8, 2020. You can watch the rest of the message here.
Below is an edited transcript of the video. Please note that some changes have been made for readability and clarity.
So what do we do? Can I simply suggest this: Let’s take the first steps.
For some of you, you’re further along than most of us, and I praise God for that. But for the rest, let’s just start here. And to do this, let me offer five starting points. My use of this starting point is intentional because we can’t do this and then simply move on. We have to continue this journey. So here’s five starting points to engage the racial and justices in our culture.
1. Let’s pray
Again, this is one of those things that seems to go without saying, and hopefully, recent events have led you to pray. But we need to pray for grace. We have to acknowledge this is beyond us.
To ask “What can we really do?” is not actually an unreasonable question. What can we do? But if we immediately follow that question, with this question — “What can God do in and through us?” — [then] we should be excited to pray.
So let me ask if you’re honest, how much have you prayed for the African American community? Or for the African American church? Or for others who are facing injustices in some way?
Or how often have you prayed for the law enforcement [officials] whose jobs just got much, much more difficult because of the actions of a few?
I know, for me, it’s rarely. And so let’s pray, not only to cry out to God, but to keep this suffering upon our hearts.
I know for me, you have to bring it onto my radar and show me the video of a man being killed and crying out, “I can’t breathe,” and then follow that up with writing for me to even pay attention.
Before this, with every story of racism that would come up in the news, I would briefly think, “Well, that’s wrong,” and then quickly move on.
And so again, let’s not only keep praying but let’s keep this upon our hearts through prayer.
2. Examine your own heart, and repent, if necessary
Again, that temptation might be to quickly look out [and ask], “What is the government doing? How can law enforcement respond? What are the socioeconomic factors in play? Do we need new legislation?”
But I think it’d be wise for us just to slow down for a moment and consider our own hearts. Let’s be honest that we a largely minority church. Being minorities does not absolve us from racism and bigotry.
For example, I didn’t know until college that Japanese and Korean [people] haven’t historically gotten along. Growing up in a largely White and Hispanic area. I didn’t realize that various Asians actually held animosity towards each other.
It’s less of an issue with the generations of Japanese and Koreans that we have in our church. [But] I won’t be surprised if it still exists in the back of some of our minds or definitely in the minds of some of those we love. My bigger point is that we can’t condemn the racism we see on TV if we don’t condemn the racism and bigotry in our own hearts.
If you think of what comes to mind when you watch the riots, or who you hope your son or daughter marries, or what ethnicity of doctor or dentist you prefer, or what fears you have when a person of a particular race walks by you on the street, you have to consider whether that truly honors God and represents the Gospel we claim to embrace. And if need be repent. Repent before God for every hidden bigotry in your heart.
Beyond this, we have to look for other hidden sins and idolatries. What about indifference? Do you even care about what is happening? Do you wish I just had never brought this up?
Or what about simple anger? What comes to mind when you look at the looting? Or has it led to you to condemn all law enforcement, even though there are so many who are doing their best to serve and to protect?
If we are going to make any progress in our own lives, and any difference as a church, each of us needs to examine our own hearts and repent. I know I need to.
3. Listen well
Are we listening before we speak? Proverbs 18:13: “If one gives an answer before he hears, it is his folly and shame.” Doesn’t that sound like the Internet and social media? So full of people answering before they listen? And so one simple way we avoid this is to listen.
I met with a friend of mine who is an African American pastor. And to be honest, I just wanted answers: “Give me a list of things that we’re supposed to do.”
But part of what he did was to share some of his story and the story of so many African American men he knows, and it truly grieved my heart.
My heart needed to be grieved. I needed to hear his story. I’ve been in danger of seen as simply as a problem to be solved rather than people to be loved.
How about law enforcement? Just imagine their struggles right now. Sure, there are bad ones. Not only those who are racist, but those with poor training, those who are prone to violence. It makes those who are trying to do the right thing that much harder. They’re doing a public service, and they’re being vilified. When you talk to your friends in law enforcement, are you really hearing their story?
So again, are you listening? Are you asking anyone about their lives? Like we said earlier, the Bible is sufficient. But if we’re going to apply it well to what is going on, we need to really understand what is going on.
4. Fourth, empathize and lament
Now, this is built on the previous point. Our listening is in part so that we know how to apply the Gospel. But maybe even before that, it should lead us to empathize and lament. Our hearts should grieve with those who are suffering right now. Obviously, our African American brothers and sisters, but also for the faithful police are trying to do the right thing, for those whose businesses have been destroyed, for those who are living in fear, [and] for anyone who is suffering during this time.
That’s one of the things that that the friend I mentioned earlier said. He said those outside the African American community should seek to empathize with the sufferings of their community.
Most of us don’t know what it’s like to fear for your son’s life or to wonder if you’re going to get pulled over, even if you didn’t do anything wrong. Or [that] people fear you for the color of your skin. Honestly, have you ever just walked down the street and thought, “People are afraid of me because of what I look like”?
On the other hand, are we painting law enforcement with such broad strokes as the bad guy, rather than empathizing with the many cops who are trying to do the right thing? And wh
o are now again being vilified because of what a few have done?
There should be something in our hearts that breaks for the brokenness we see around us. We should cry out to God; we should lament before him. We should feel deep empathy for the suffering of others. Because if we don’t, again, I think we will relegate ourselves to the sidelines, simply waiting for an arrest to blow over so that we can resume our relatively comfortable lives.
5. Fifth, lastly, love your neighbor
What would the first steps look like for you? For most of us, we have neither the voice nor the influence to make any sweeping changes. But could you simply start with your own life? Could you be more proactive and making friends outside your ethnicity? Could you make more of an effort to learn from the African American church? And to think through how we could serve them in some way?
Could you be more thoughtful and intentional in building bridges and sharing your faith and telling the Gospel to others? Could you more regularly reach out to and pray for our law enforcement?
Could you do a better job in raising your own kids to understand race? Not to be colorblind but to very much see the differences in people and to rejoice in God’s good and perfect design and how he created all of humanity in his image?
So again, what will you do? What first steps will you take?
Now, nothing I’ve said right now is earth-shattering. I have not come up with anything novel. No one is going to ask me to preach or to write on the topic. These are applications of basic Christianity — things we tell our kids to do: pray and love your neighbor. But I think we need to start here because too often we haven’t applied basic Christianity to this serious issue of race and injustice.
So first, let’s be in prayer. Let’s commit to pray, not only for what is happening in our world, but for our own hearts and for wisdom as to how we can have a role and what has happened, and how we can bring the light of the Gospel to bear on it.
Let me close with this. I’m sure we have a wide spectrum of beliefs concerning what is happening in our society. Before we must be united as on what the Bible says. The Scripture is clear that we must pray. We must examine our own hearts and repent. We must listen and empathize with others. We must love. Beloved, let us start there.