This past Friday two of the great witnesses for racial justice in the history of our nation finished their journey of life and faith – CT Vivian and John Lewis. Both men were deeply committed disciples of Jesus who embodied Jesus’ way of self-sacrificial, non-violent, redemptive love. They worked together in the civil rights movement of the 1960’s, and both were arrested numerous times and beaten by law enforcement officers during the Selma campaign for voting rights in 1965. I hope you will take the time to learn more about their great contributions to racial justice. Both online and broadcast media outlets have run numerous stories about their lives and work for justice.
As I reflect on their lives and witness, it raises a question – What to do with their witness? I was drawn to that passage of Scripture in the book of Hebrews that refers to those who have gone before us (Hebrews 11: 39-12:2):
Yet all these, though they were commended for their faith, did not receive what was promised, since God had provided something better so that they would not, apart from us, be made perfect
Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the sake of the joy that was set before him endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God.
Two aspects of this passage stand out for me in light of the lives of CT Vivian and John Lewis.
First is that their faithful commitment to racial justice contributed to significant progress but did not result in the complete realization of what Dr. King called the Beloved Community. To those who consider the ongoing challenges to racial justice that we face today and are tempted to despair of any progress, John Lewis was fond of saying “come walk in my shoes.” By that he referred to the real progress made by the civil rights movement in removing many of the oppressive features of the Jim Crow era of legal segregation and racial terror.
Secondly the passage reminds me not only to be grateful for their witness but also to deepen our commitment to the ongoing struggle for racial justice in our time. It is not enough to admire their lives. As the Scriptures says, their witness is also a calling to, “run with perseverance the race that is set before us.” In addition to pointing out the progress we have made as a nation, John Lewis also consistently called us to “get in the way,” and to “get into trouble, good trouble, necessary trouble.” Although the deaths of CT Vivian and John Lewis are significant losses that make us sad, they also come at an opportune time when the need for greater racial justice in our country is abundantly clear. So the question to each of us individually as followers of Jesus and to the body of Christ to which we belong is, “What will we do with their witness?” Following their example, I pray that we will commit to being part of the movement for racial justice and be willing to “get in the way” of the forces of injustice and oppression in our nation.
Please take a few minutes to watch the video posted below. It features a song that was done in honor of John Lewis several years ago when he received an honorary doctorate from Harvard. The song is a vivid example of what it means to honor the witness of those who have gone before us – “Sing Out! March On!”