I saw the trailer for a movie.  It is called “Am I Racist?”.  I addresses the hypersensitivity in our country about racism.  Is the US hypersensitive?  The answer is truly God only knows.  This sermon is not about racism through.  It is about hypocrisy because racism is hypocritical if you are a Christian.

Matthew 5: The Fulfillment of the Law  ¹⁷ “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. ¹⁸ For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. ¹⁹ Therefore anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. ²⁰ For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.

Love for Enemies In Matthew 5:43-48⁴³ “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor^[i] and hate your enemy.’ ⁴⁴ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, ⁴⁵ that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. ⁴⁶ If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? ⁴⁷ And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? ⁴⁸ Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

Hypocrisy  According to Wikipedia “Hypocrisy is the state of falsely claiming to possess virtuous characteristics that one lacks. Hypocrisy involves the deception of others and is thus a kind of lie.” I believe that everyone is a hypocrite at some level. Accept it. Acknowledge it. Then, rise above it. It is part of truly loving your neighbors. We all dislike something. It is normal. I detest strawberry jam. I try not to grimace when confronted by it. You must not let yourself take that next step and pretend that you like someone or something for convenience sake one day and badmouth it the next. That is a special kind of dishonesty.

When I was a cadet we had the West Point Honor Code and training in something called social tact.  The West Point Honor Code is based on Christian values when it says: “A Cadet will not lie, cheat, or steal or tolerate those who do.”  That is the worst dinner I have ever had is honest – but is it necessary to say it?  Social tact is allowed but when does it cross over.  Joe Biden is maybe an idiot, but is it necessary to say it when you only need to point out the facts. 

Prejudice.  That is what racism is all about.  You are pre – judging something or someone.  Why are you doing it?  I have a meme that shows Jesus talking to a group that appear to be his Apostles.  Jesus says “I want you to go out and love everyone as I have taught you”.  The Apostles start asking “What if they are Gentiles?; What if they are a different color than me?; What is if they eat weird food? And so on.  Jesus answers “Did I stutter?”.

It is probably not possible for someone to be totally free of disliking someone like President Biden or President Trump or some thing (unless you are the Person who can pull your hand from a bucket of water – and the water doesn’t move back – We know who that was). We are all products of our society. The media has bombarded us for years telling us that we need to be afraid of certain things. Our families have told us that we should avoid the “bad” child down the street. Prejudice is prevalent in everything we do – often without our realizing it until we try and make it a conscious thought, but we must try. Don’t hate the Mexican migrant who only wants to provide for his family. Don’t hate the abortionist or the pro-lifer. Don’t hate the arrogant white NAZI who cannot get over themselves. It is hard because we all have our little hates. The goal should be to keep them reduced to the smallest tiniest minimum that we can. It is different to dislike what we consider a sin. We still need to love the sinner too. Don’t badmouth the strawberry jams of the world. It is only through prayer that we hope to rise above our petty thoughts and grievances.

James 3:17 But the wisdom from above is pure first of all; it is also peaceful, gentle, and friendly; it is full of compassion and produces a harvest of good deeds; it is free from prejudice and hypocrisy.

Prayer: Dear Lord grants us the strength to recognize Your Will. We know that through you – we can do anything. Your Son was the only human who could walk on water or pull HIS Hand from a bucket of water – and the water didn’t move back. Help us to speak out against things that are wrong but not in a way that is injurious to others. Help us to rise above it. We know that it is always right to follow your Son’s guidance to love one another and treat each other as we would be treated.  Give us strength to truly spread your love.