Racial reconciliation happens when God takes center stage over every other preference. I watched the initial response of the parishioners at the Liberty Hill Baptist Church Cleveland, OH ( a predominately African American congregation). Some of them looked "put off" as these young Caucasian missionaries (from Texas) set up in our church to lead Sunday worship. They traveled to different locations in Cleveland (Ohio) to share the Gospel in song.
THE SINGING
This choir could *SING*! They weren’t there to impress—they were there to worship the Lord. The harmony was incredible, and the orchestra, composed of middle and high school students, played with impressive discipline and depth. Yet, despite their beautiful performance, the early songs were met with polite applause from the congregation. This was a Sunday morning worship service in an African American church—let me put it plainly, this was a Sunday morning worship in a *BLACK CHURCH*. And in a Black church, there is no such thing as “cordial claps” on a Sunday morning! Either it’s worship, or it’s not. But there was an unspoken tension… let’s just say it—the choir was white.
I can be polite, but I’m going to keep it real. The choir was white, and our congregation had to make an adjustment. (If you’re still not getting it, shoot me an email!)
Yet, when we follow the Word of God and the example of Jesus Christ, reconciliation just… *pours out*.
**THE REJOICING**
Then it happened… One of the young soloists began to sing. She looked a bit nervous, her rocking back and forth a little awkward. But as she sang, tears began to fall. *LET’S PAUSE HERE!* There’s an unspoken rule in the Black church: sincerity is endearing. When this young woman’s “white tears” started flowing, one of the church mothers stood up and shouted, “That’s alright, baby, sing your song for Jesus!” In that moment, it was like God said, “*Aha!* That’s what I was waiting for—to open the door and pour out My Spirit.”
From that moment on, there were no more “cordial claps.” It was praise and worship. It wasn’t about white singers in a Black church anymore; it was about worshipping the Lord together. At the end of the service, a wave of love filled the room. Hugs, handshakes, and heartfelt conversations continued long after the final song.
THE WAITING
2 Corinthians 5:17-18 says, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, they are a new creation: the old has gone, the new is here! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation.”
Christians can activate the ministry of reconciliation because, through Jesus, it has already been given to us. Perhaps God is just waiting for someone to open the door.
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