Monday Morning Confessional

I confess that when I was young many people who surrounded me in my little world held MLK in deep suspicion. He was not considered a great man by them. I often heard statements like, “Once the FBI files on MLK are opened, the world will really see what he was like. And they won’t be celebrating him so much.” I confess that I believe this was rooted in blatant racism.

I confess that I have never suffered for anything the way MLK suffered for those who were pushed to the margins of society because of the color of their skin. I confess that I have no idea what it must have been like to continue to speak out boldly in the face of so much violence. I confess that I cannot imagine having to get up every single day knowing that people were plotting my death – that today could be the day that I am finally killed.

I confess that I cannot imagine holding to nonviolence in the face of so much violence.

I confess that racism still lives in our city of Kansas City. The richest neighborhoods are nearly all white. The poorest neighborhoods – where drugs and violence are so prevalent – are nearly all black.

I confess that whole neighborhoods in urban KCMO, and the neighborhood my friends at the Hope Center live and work in, are dealing with what can only be described as complete and total social breakdown. I confess that there is no way we would ever allow this to be the case in our own neighborhoods. We would not stand for the violence. We would not stand for the failing schools. We would not stand for the economic breakdown. We would not stand for the lack of opportunity. We would not stand for the drugs. I confess that parts of my city are on fire right now, and I am not doing nearly enough to help.

I confess that although it is easy to get people from my world to go to the inner city to do bible school or evangelize, it is nearly impossible to get them to go and bear witness to the violence, to lobby for better schools, to stand with our brothers and sisters and say racism is still alive, to create economic opportunity, to take on the yoke of poverty and protest it at the top of our lungs. I confess that my unwillingness to speak out, show up, get involved, use my voice, to use my imagination, give my resources… it makes their world inevitable. I confess that I believe we in the suburbs have isolated ourselves from the plight of the city, and effectively exported violence, poverty, and social problems to them.

I confess that MLK day is one of the most difficult days of the year for me personally. It’s the one day that I cannot escape the fact that I do not live with enough courage; that I live in a city that is still infected with racism, and yet I do almost nothing about it.

I confess that today I am praying for Chris and Tammy Jehle, and the Hope Center Staff. For my friends Jake Latta, Nate Jackson, Matt Nagel, Kelli Johnson, the Belts & the Garrs… who have more courage than I have ever had. I confess that your school, your leadership training, your medical facility, your presence in that community is truly bringing hope. I confess that I believe you are pushing back the darkness. I confess that you are teaching me what it means to be a Christian. I confess that you, and others like you, are the true heirs of the ministry of Dr. King. I post this – my favorite clip of Dr. King speaking – in your honor today.

Peace of Christ to you.

Okay – I made my confession… now make yours!