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There is no tug of war between the deep life of the Spirit and the outward life of service, peace, and justice.

For many, these are troubling times, times of blindness, distortion, and spiritual atrophy. Hearts are hardened. Ears are plugged. Minds are closed. Eyes are dim.

We point fingers of blame and speak taunting words of accusation or dismissal. Battle lines are drawn and one area of the battle seems blatant.

The call to repentance from the multi-generational sin of racism cannot be focused on one man or government. We must all enter into a season of prayer, fasting, and repentance.

It is true in every area of injustice, historical or otherwise

Followers of Jesus must remain diligent about issues, policies, and deeds, viewing them from a kingdom/gospel lens rather than just focusing on a few people. It is far too easy to divert blame for what we help propagate than to confront it in ourselves and in our communities.

What them can and shall we do?

This call to activism in the arena is not divorced to the call draw near to God and inward to the meeting place where we are transformed by encounter with God, where we catch of vision of holiness.

Satisfied with His likeness,
Beholding His face in righteousness,
Fully awakened from dullness of mind,
Fully engaged, embracing this day,
We move on in the spirit of Psalm 17.

Yet, we say, we are unqualified. We are weak. We are ill-equipped. And the answer is, "Yes … and so?"

"In a very real sense not one of us is qualified, but it seems that God continually chooses the most unqualified to do God's work, to bear God's glory."

"If we are qualified, we tend to think that we have done the job ourselves."

"If we are forced to accept our evident lack of qualification, then there's no danger that we will confuse God's work with our own, or God's glory with our own."

― Madeleine L'Engle, "Walking on Water: Reflections on Faith and Art"

We are brought near, set free from hostility, welcomed, built together to "house God," given complete access to God, granted peace, incorporated into a family, and made into something new for which we were intended. We are reconciled with God through Jesus Christ.

In this, we find a third reality. We have our outward mission, our inward sanctum, and our community of partners in mission.

"But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility. And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near. For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit."

– Ephesians 2:13-22 (ESV)

Together, let us move inward and let us move forward.