We continue this week with some devotionals related to the celebration in the United States of Black History. We would argue that this month is a necessary reminder that the citizens of the United States, from the very beginning and continuing until this very day, have not lived up to the professed vision of “liberty and justice for all.” Also, as Christians, it’s a chance to celebrate the creative brilliance of the God who “made from one man every nation of mankind” (Acts 17:26), and the redemptive beauty of his Son who, with his own blood, “ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation” (Revelation 5:9).
In today’s episode we focus on examining a poem written in 1900 by James Weldon Johnson, which has come to be known as the Black National Anthem. “Lift Every Voice and Sing” is a demand for faith. It is also a clarion call for justice. It invokes images of the past while at the same time acknowledging signs of progress.It suggests that people should be joyful and angry, grateful for the change that has already occurred, yet mindful that the struggle is not yet over, embracing of the country’s bedrock values and yet bearing witness to hypocrisy and promises unfulfilled.
Additional scriptures referenced include Isaiah 58:1.
Families today face many challenges. To what extent is the church responding to the needs of its members and those of the broader community?...
Jesus has called each of us as believers to teach others as we fulfill the Great Commission. How should we go about teaching? Perhaps...
Jonah, whose name means “dove” is the son of Amittai, a prophet from Gath-hepher in Zebulun, a territory in the Northern Kingdom of Israel....
