REFLECTIONS
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Read: Matthew 2:15
Out of Egypt I called my son.
In 2022, during a conference at Sixteenth Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama, Black youth reflected on “the talk” their
parents gave to protect from contentious, deadly encounters with police. They gathered in the face of recent violence, remembered the four girls murdered in the 1963 bombing at that church, the horrific lynching of fourteen-year-old Emmett Till in 1955, and more. The Black youth candidly revealed how the talk meant to protect them against violence and injustice actually instilled panic and doubt. Jesus’ parents guarded His life. Jesus was the target of genocide during King Herod’s reign of terror (MATTHEW 2). Herod, infuriated that he was unable to find the Christ child, “gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under” (V. 16). Jesus was safe in Egypt because “an angel of the Lord” gave His earthly father Joseph a “talk” about how to circumvent danger: “Get up, take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt” (V. 13). Joseph obeyed, staying in Egypt with his family until
Herod’s death (V. 14). We live in a world where our lives, including children’s, are not always cherished and protected. Yet we can tell them that Jesus truly empathizes with our consternation and fear. He too was martyred. His birth, death, and resurrection ushered in eternal hope, peace, and salvation like none other the world has ever seen or known.
-TONDRA L. LODER-JACKSON
How do you find solace in the hope you have in Christ amid the fears you have in life?
Faithful Father, God with us, help us to hope, and to instill more hope in our children.
Read: Psalm 145:4
One generation commends your works to another;
they tell of your mighty acts.
A legacy of faith exists in my family. My paternal grandfather kept his family active in church. Visiting my dad’s relatives in Randallstown, Maryland, I found evidence of the passed down faith. Uncle Henry still played saxophone at the family church. Walking around the cemetery behind the church later, we read the aged headstones of other family members. My father had become a pastor, my siblings and I work in ministry, and we’ve raised our kids to honor God. The Black experience is rooted in and tied to faith in Christ Jesus that has been shared from generation to generation. Each generation is created in God’s image: you, me, and our ancestors (GENESIS 1:27). That includes innumerable Black people and people of color. The African man who carried our Savior’s cross down the Via Dolorosa, Simon of Cyrene (LUKE 23:26). The Africans present when the church began (ACTS 2:5–11). The Ethiopian eunuch whom Philip witnessed
to and baptized surely passed down his experience and testimony to fellow Africans and others (8:26–40). In fact, some early church fathers such as Tertullian, Cyprian, and Augustine were Africans who left writings still honored and studied in seminaries worldwide. Passing down the promises of our faith is an honored way of life practiced by Black individuals and families. Speak of God, teach the truth of the Bible, and live as an example: this passes God’s faithful promises to our children
– SHARON NORRIS ELLIOTT
What are three ways to “pass down” the faith in God’s promises to your family and community?
God, help me to internalize the importance of bequeathing my faith in You to the next generation.
Read : Philippians 1:20
Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death.
The news of Chadwick Boseman’s death from cancer in 2020 at the age of forty-three shocked fans around the world. Many had celebrated Boseman in 2018 when he played T’Challa, the regal king and title superhero character of the fictional African nation of Wakanda in Black Panther. Even his costars in the movie were shocked, since Boseman kept his health issues private. Plans for a second movie starring Boseman had to be rethought and expectations managed as the work of grieving began. Director Ryan Coogler decided to make a second film that honored the man the cast and he had come to love.
Jesus didn’t keep secret the fact that He would die (SEE MATTHEW 16:21). But His disciples couldn’t hear Him over their expectations for the long-awaited Messiah. Two of Jesus’ followers expressed their disappointed expectations to the “stranger” who walked beside them on the Emmaus road. “We had hoped
that he was the one . . . to redeem Israel,” they said (LUKE 24:21). The stranger—Jesus—quickly set them straight. He died and rose to life for them. They could honor Him by living for Him. The apostle Paul decided to honor Jesus no matter what life threw at him. “Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death” (PHILIPPIANS 1:20). You can make the same choice. This might mean prayerfully surrendering plans and managing expectations of how you think life “should” go.
– LINDA WASHINGTON
What do you think honoring Jesus means? How will you do that this week?
Jesus, thank You for Your willingness to die for me. Help me live for You.
Read : Isaiah 40:31
But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.
Over the years, the number of African American women earning a graduate degree has increased, despite the existence of laws that once prohibited equitable access to an education. Our ancestors challenged these laws that made it impossible for individuals in disenfranchised communities to reap the benefits of better employment opportunities and higher wages. The growth in the number of African American women with graduate degrees is not only a reflection of the unshakable faith of our ancestors, but also calls us to soar beyond the depths of their limitations and the heights of their accomplishments. No matter what obstacles and challenges we have faced, God is faithful. It’s amazing how God will continuously renew our strength (ISAIAH 40:31). Even when we attempt to do something that seems impossible, He has a way of moving us beyond our fears to a higher calling. God trains us with His Word: “Do not be dismayed, for I am
your God” (ISAIAH 41:10). God “will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in [him]” (ISAIAH 26:3). God’s plans for us are often beyond what we could ever ask or think. In His strength, we can achieve more than our ancestors ever dreamed. As we stand on the shoulders of those whose sacrifices charted a path for us, we are constantly reminded of God’s presence. His faithful love carries us from generation to generation.
– CAMILLE HUMES
What have you been asking God to give you the strength to do? Despite any challenges, how will you begin working toward your goals?
God of perfect peace, I am thankful that because of You I have the strength to do what You have called me to do.
Read : John 14:2
There is more than enough room in my Father’s home.
Sharonne McGee satisfies her passion for serving others primarily by helping people buy their own home. She says, “The effects of housing discrimination along with lack of credit, little savings, and miseducation have hindered Black people and others. I’m working to change that.” This Kansas City real estate professional educates potential buyers about overcoming these obstacles and discrimination. Unfair lending practices and “restrictive covenants” historically kept Black people from US communities with higher property values, better schools, and other advantages. In 1968, the Fair Housing Act began to change that for continuing generations’ benefit.
The Bible record reveals that God has been more than a faithful provider of shelter; He has been a “place” of refuge. God delivered the Israelites from the disadvantages of Egyptian slavery, and He took them into the promised land, giving them places to dwell within “large, flourishing cities” (DEUTERONOMY 6:10). Responding in worship, Moses said, “Lord, you have been our dwelling place throughout all generations. Before the mountains were born or you brought forth the whole world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God” (PSALM 90:1–2).
God has prepared an eternal place with Him for all who receive faith in His Son. And Jesus has promised, “There is more than enough room in my Father’s home” (JOHN 14:2 NLT). Jesus is our way to everlasting life. All of His promises give us hope wherever we live now and promise a home with God forever.
– ADRIENNE WARTTS
How can you respond today to Jesus’ words in John 14? Who can you encourage to believe in God and believe also in Jesus?
God, thank You for being my supreme shelter now and in eternity.
Read : 2 Corinthians 1:3
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion.
When the HIV/AIDS crisis emerged in the 1980s, there was speculation and fear. Dr. Michelle Rojas was on the front lines of the epidemic in South Carolina. As cases increased, Black patients were slow to speak out and seek care; they faced stigmas on many fronts and often were only referred to specialists. One of only a handful of Black women MDs in the area, Dr. Rojas was sought out by patients. She followed God’s calling to establish a first-of-its-kind community care program for HIV/AIDS patients in South Carolina. Through decades of service in various programs and clinics in the state, she has made a historic impact.
Her model reflects God’s heart and encourages us to share His gifts of compassionate comfort with others. Our loving Father cares for us, not just so we can be comfortable, but so we can “comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God” (2 CORINTHIANS 1:4). Rojas serves with an open door to those in need of care in challenging times with love, grace, and the gospel.
Throughout history, God has been faithful and generous in providing comfort through His people so that we can share His hope and compassion with others. In our Christian walk, we “share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ,” and we can be assured that “so also our comfort abounds through Christ” (V. 5).
– MONIKA R. A. MILLER
What challenging spaces has God called you into? How can you be a vehicle of His compassion and comfort in those spaces today?
Father of compassion, God of all comfort, I am so grateful You’re with me in troubling times. Help me abound in comfort for others through Christ today.
Read : Romans 8:29
Those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son.
Young Black filmmakers, such as Gina Prince-Bythewood (The Woman King), J. D. Dillard (Devotion), and Chinonye Chukwu (Till) are making history by bringing to light untold stories of the trials and triumphs of Black people. Their films tell stories of a people whose history does not begin and end with slavery but rather with nobility.
As we consider these films’ inspiring messages—respectively, royal African heritage; the soaring career of the Navy’s first Black fighter pilot; and a mother who by faith overcame the disfiguring, brutal death of her beloved only son—we are reminded of who Black people are and prompted to consider who each of us can become. As individuals, when we become believers in Jesus Christ, we are granted nobility as “co-heirs” (ROMANS 8:17). We are lifted to “heavenly realms in Christ” (EPHESIANS 2:6). This is made possible by the faithfulness of God through the suffering and death of God’s one and only Son (JOHN 3:16).
However great the history and the achievements God allows Black people, these glories cannot be compared to the glory God has destined for all of us who believe and whom He conforms to the image of His Son. The same God who knew what we would both suffer and achieve in this life is the same God who foreknew us and gave us His Son so that we might become like Him. Our destiny is, indeed, greater than our history!
– MELANIE JOHNSON
How can you find ways to celebrate both the great history of Black people and the destiny that God has made possible for you through Jesus?
Heavenly Father, I thank You for my history, and for the glorious destiny of being conformed to the image of your Son.
Read : 1 Samuel 2:1
Then Hannah prayed and said: “My heart rejoices in the Lord.”
The moments leading up to my son’s delivery were the hardest of my life. Every negative thought went through my head. What if there are complications? What if my child is born unhealthy? The pain and tension of the moment were hard to bear. Still, I had to keep pushing through. The preparation of the previous nine months was all for this moment. I powered through contractions and an intense delivery, and my husband and I welcomed our beautiful son into the world!
In the Bible, Hannah prayed earnestly for a child. When questioned by Eli the priest, she explained, “I am a woman who is deeply troubled. . . . I was pouring out my soul to the Lord” (1 SAMUEL 1:15). She was barren and was taunted for her infertility, but “in her deep anguish Hannah prayed to the Lord, weeping bitterly” (V. 10). Then “she made a vow,” essentially making a deal with God to give her a son whom she would give back (V. 11). God honored her (V. 17), and she later welcomed a son, Samuel! What should we do when we desire something from God? We should pray about our desires, though it may be God has something else in mind. After Hannah birthed her son, she exclaimed, “My heart rejoices in the Lord” (2:1). May God help us through the difficult places and somehow bring us to a place of rejoicing.
– CHELSEA JORDAN
What hard thing or deep desire can you ask God about in prayer?
God my Rock, please be with me in every hard thing in life. Help me to rely on Your Spirit to guide me.
Read : Jeremiah 29:10
I will come to you and fulfill my good promise to bring you back.
On June 10, 1966, a man stood before a crowd of thousands in Soldier Field, Chicago. As he closed his sermon, he said: “Sometimes I feel discouraged and feel my work’s in vain. But then the Holy Spirit revives my soul again. ‘There is a balm in Gilead to make the wounded whole.’ ” The man was Martin Luther King Jr., and the speech critiqued Chicago’s unequal housing policy. King confronted the worst aspects of American society, from death threats to actual assassination attempts. However, he never quit despite the rabid opposition against his fight for civil rights. When the whole world is against us, where is God and how do
we persist? King likely asked himself such questions throughout his life; the people of Judah may have asked similar questions while being taken to Babylon and held there in captivity. God’s message came to the exiles in a letter from the prophet Jeremiah that put things in perspective: “ ‘I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future’ ” (JEREMIAH 29:11).
Through time, this verse has held true for many believers in Christ, including Dr. King. However, there are moments in our daily lives when we might lose our confidence or even our hope in God. In those times, somehow we must remember to trust in God and keep moving forward.
– ANTHONY JONES
Has there been a time or circumstance when you were unsure about the future? How has God encouraged you or reshaped your expectations about the unknowns of life?
God, please deepen my trust in Your faithfulness.
Read : Isaiah 41:10
So do not fear, for I am with you . . . I will strengthen you and help you.
Ona Judge, a slave of the United States’ first president, remembered her mother’s words, “Accept freedom’s hand if ever it is extended.” Her mother, also a slave in the Washingtons’ household, instilled in her daughter the vision of being free. Despite Ona’s nightmares of being recaptured and beaten to death, she knew that her Creator didn’t make her to be someone else’s possession. Ona moved swiftly on her journey toward freedom and never looked back. She pushed any turbulent thoughts away and prayed that she would make it safely to the ship. Fear tried to overcome her as she hid in an unlit tiny cupboard on the ship. Then she heard her mother’s voice say, Quiet yourself, my sweet black-eyed butterfly. Ona knew that she was no longer alone and that God’s strength would get her to freedom. The Israelites also understood the reality of tasting freedom by overcoming fear. While in captivity, they cried out to God to give them freedom. God spoke through the prophet Isaiah, “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand” (41:10). In Scripture, God continually instructs us not to be afraid because
His presence will strengthen and enable us to experience freedom.
Freedom from our fears is available as He upholds us in His righteous right hand.
– ROSLYN YILPET
Do you believe that God is with you as you face your fears? Are you willing to allow God to strengthen you and give you victory over your fears?
My Creator God, help me to overcome any fears that block me from my freedom in You.
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