Sin

“All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God” Romans 3:23.

I’m a preacher.   I don’t know anything about politics.  But, I do know a few things about sin (most from personal experience).

I’ve sinned.  You’ve sinned.  We have all sinned.  We have all fallen short of the glory God intends for us.

As for me, my sins are many.  One of my sins is that I am a racist.

I’m not proud of my sin.  I am ashamed of my sin.  I ask God to forgive me of things I’ve done and things I’ve left undone.  After confessing my sin, I repent of it:  I pledge not to continue doing it.  Often I fail.

With regard to racism, I have in the past referred to myself as a “recovering racist.”  Both words “recovering” and “racist” are important.  I am both.   I am a sinner, and I am, by the grace of God, called to change.

One of the modes of the manifestation of sin can be the “blindspot.”  The analogy is to driving on I-10 and beginning to change lanes.  You check your mirrors.  You turn your head and look.  You begin to change lanes, when suddenly into your line of sight you see that you are soon to collide with a car in the other lane.  You had a blindspot.

Note that you looked to see if there was anyone driving in the other lane.  You checked your mirrors.  You turned your head.  You did not intend to collide with another vehicle.  You are a good person.  Your intentions are good.  But, nonetheless, you had a blindspot and sometimes collisions happen because of blindspots.

I have friends who tell me when I’ve spilled lunch on my shirt.  They know I haven’t noticed it, maybe because of its location, I can’t see it without looking in a mirror.  Friends do that for each other.  It is embarrassing when I spill something on my shirt.  I am embarrassed when I am told that I have spilled something on my shirt.  But, friends don’t let you go around all day with a food stain on your shirt.

These two different analogies are important to the current nature of my own sin of racism.

My friends who have skin that is darker than mine, tell me I am a good person.  I would never use a racial or ethnic slur.  It upsets me when others do so.  I am not conscious of any racist thoughts or feelings.  Quite the contrary, I am appalled when I see someone engaging in racist behavior or speaking in racist language.  I can even imagine people who know me protesting:  “You are no racist.”  And, I certainly do not want to think of myself as a racist.  But, at this point in my life, I am a racist because I have blindspots.

The thing about a blindspot—you don’t see it.  By its nature, you do not see it.  It is a “spot” of blindness.  You are “blind” to that  “spot.”  You have a blindspot.  And, with regard to race, I have blindspots.

I am continually learning the many ways in which I am enmeshed in the sin of racism.  Sometimes my blindspots cause collisions.  Sometimes I narrowly escape a wreck.

Which brings me back to my second analogy:  My friends sometimes tell me when I’ve spilled lunch on my shirt.  And, my friends sometimes tell me when I am engaging in racist behavior or using racist language.

Things I had never thought about before are brought to my attention.  Note that it does not matter that I did not intend to spill lunch on my shirt.  Nor, does it matter that I don’t often spill lunch on my shirt.  Perhaps, I have a long history of being very good at not spilling lunch on my shirt.  But, in this case, despite my exemplary history and best intentions, I have, in fact, spilled lunch on my shirt.  Likewise, it does not matter that I did not intend a particular action to be racist.  It does not matter that I have a history of not being overtly racist.  It does not matter than people think of me as a generally good person and I like to think of myself as a well-intentioned generally good person.  Because, I discover, much to my surprise, that I have, in this case, despite my exemplary history and best intentions, engaged in racist behavior or used racist language.

Sometimes sin can be related to “blindspots” and “food stains.”  The sin of racism is no different.

I saw the mayor of Ocean Springs, the Honorable Shae Dobson, on T.V. today.  He asked that we give the aldermen of Ocean Springs and himself, the benefit of the doubt, that they are good people who are well-intentioned.  All citizens of Ocean

Springs should have no problem believing their good intentions.  Even those unknown to you personally, you should have no problem believing that if you did know them, that you would find them to be genuinely good people.  We should give each other the benefit of the doubt.

I know it is a blind spot for many, but the current design of the state flag of Mississippi is, in fact, a racist symbol.  Just because you don’t see it, doesn’t mean it is not the case.  Such is the nature of a “blind spot.” 

Like a friend, you tells you you’ve spilled something on your shirt, fellow citizens of Ocean Springs have pointed out the “stain” on our civic “shirt.”

All have sinned and fallen short of the glory God.  I’ve sinned.  You’ve sinned.  We’ve all sinned.  One of my current struggles with sin (I have several), is with the sin of racism.  I beg my friends whose skin is darker than my own, to bear with me, giving me the benefit of the doubt with regard to my good intentions, but, nonetheless, never failing to tell me when I have fallen into the sin of racism.

We’ve been told we have erred and gone astray.  I suspect it is a civic blindspot for many.   Like a friend, telling you that you have spilled something on your shirt; in the love of Christ and as a friend, I need to tell Ocean Springs that we are flying a symbol of racism over our city hall.  However, unintentional it may be, it is nonetheless sinful.  We need to confess our sin and repent of our sin.  Until the state legislature removes the battle flag of the confederacy from the state flag, we should not fly the state flag over our city hall.  We need to confess our sin and then we need to stop flying the state flag in its current design.