Happy New Year! It will be happy for some, maybe, but not so much for others.
In a recent article in Politico, Michael Grunwald exclaimed, “Everything is Awesome.” He said as much because according to his research “the U.S. economy grew at a 5 percent rate in the third quarter. The economy added 320,000 jobs in November, the best of 57 straight months of job growth in the private sector. The Dow hit an all-time high and the uninsured rate is approaching an all-time low. Consumer confidence is soaring; unemployment is down to 5.8 percent. Inflation is low. Gas prices are near $2.38 and dropping. The budget deficit is shrinking. Ebola is not in your face anymore, crime, abortion, teen pregnancy and oil imports are also way down, while renewable power is way up and the American auto industry is booming again.”
Some would argue that all of this sounds great but that it does not matter because we still have injustice in the criminal justice system, law enforcement deaths are up, and many major cities continue to see protests. Recently the president said the U.S. is less racially divided now then before. Perhaps, yet from what we see in our country it would appear that this was not the case. Over the past few months we have seen hashtags stating #blacklivesmatter or #policelivesmatter. We know that for God all lives matter. In Christ Jesus there is no concept of color or position.
Regardless of how you view our country and world, none of what is happening or will happen really matters. The reason I say this is because what truly matters is our relationship with Jesus Christ. The main reason why sometimes minorities are profiled is because a disproportionate amount of minorities commit crimes. I can say this because I myself am a minority; Puerto Rican to be exact. The reason why there are so many minorities committing crimes is because of sin nature. The reason some police are corrupt and use excessive force is also because of sin nature.
God told Adam and Eve, “You may freely eat of every tree of the garden; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall die.” (Genesis 2:16)
Notice that the first thing God tells Adam and Eve is that they could eat freely. His first statement is not a prohibitive rule. It is an encouragement to be free. They had access to everything except one thing, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. God prohibited this one thing because knowing his own creation, He knew that if they ate they would be disobeying, a sin, but secondly they would be drawn to do evil versus good.
Adam and Eve made a terrible mistake. They sinned and we have all been affected even today. Ferguson, New York, etc. all trace back to that first sin. Yet our hope is that in the same way that “sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned consequently, just as one trespass resulted in condemnation for all people, so also one righteous act resulted in justification and life for all people. For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man [Jesus] the many will be made righteous.” (Romans 5:12, 18-19)
This New Year 2015 can be happy. It can be great, and everything can be awesome if our trust is in Jesus not in ourselves. Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson among others use the title reverend, yet not once do they use their public pulpit and stage to proclaim that the one solution to so called police brutality and crime is to turn to the one who can actually restore relationships.
The reality is that we don’t know what this next year will be like. Many people can guess based on their “forecasts,” but what should truly matter is not how many #hashtags we can create or promote. What should matter is not how quickly the criminal justice system can be reformed or how we can minimize gun violence, although all of that would help our nation. A growing economy and prosperity is great but none of these things matter in comparison to coming glory of the Lord. If we are ready to meet Jesus, then we can face the blessings of a new year along with its challenges.
Martin Luther King’s last speech highlighted this very attitude that we should all have as we receive the year of our Lord Two Thousand Fifteen:
“Well, I don't know what will happen now. We've got some difficult days ahead. But it really doesn't matter with me now, because I've been to the mountaintop. And I don't mind. Like anybody, I would like to live a long life. Longevity has its place. But I'm not concerned about that now. I just want to do God's will. And He's allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I've looked over. And I've seen the Promised Land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the Promised Land! And so I'm happy, tonight. I'm not worried about anything. I'm not fearing any man! Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord!”
About Rev. Marcos O. Almonte
Rev. Marcos O. Almonte is senior pastor at Brandywine Baptist Church, the oldest Baptist Church west of Philadelphia. Pastor Marcos is a graduate of Palmer Theological Seminary with more than 10 years working with families with an expertise in theology, trauma and addictions. Pastor Marcos and his wife Mary have three children, Carmen, Joseph, and Lincoln.
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