Jesus began His first public sermon with these words.

The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed; to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord. (Luke 4:18, 19)

I have some friends who don’t like it when people talk about slavery.  They feel, and I believe rightfully so, that people today are so far removed in attitude and understanding from those who lived during the American slavery era, that it is difficult to make comparisons.  I agree; it is difficult to make comparisons.
Let’s just examine the today’s troubling facts.  According to the U.S. Bureau of Justice, 846,000 African American men were incarcerated in 2008.  This figure has only increased in 2012.  There are hundreds of thousands more on probation or parole.  This means that today, there are more African American men who are incarcerated, on probation, or on parole than were enslaved in 1850, just before the start of the Civil War began.
What troubles me is that all of this has happened during my lifetime.  In 1980, there were 143,000 African American men in prison and 463,700 enrolled in college.  Today, the amount of African American men in prison surpasses their college counterparts more than three times over.  The majority of these have been charged with nonviolent felony drug offenses.  This means that although these men have not stolen, physically harmed or killed anyone, they will never be able to vote or run for public office and will find it very hard to get a job.  Many return to prison.  Is it any wonder?
As a Christian, I am stuck between a Rock and a hard place.  The hard place is a criminal justice system that appears to scoop up African American males at alarming rates.  African American males make up 40.2% of the inmate population, while African Americans are only 13.6% of the general population.  America has a prison population of 2 million strong.  We incarcerate more people than any other nation on the planet – more than North Korea, Iran, China or any other politically repressive state.  On top of that, the detention industry employs thousands.  If the prison population were reduced dramatically, many would lose their jobs.  There is an incredible incentive to maintain the status quo.  The hard place is very hard.  However, the Rock is Jesus.  His mission was “to proclaim liberty to the captives” and “to set at liberty those who are oppressed.”  As I reflect on the state of our nation this Black History month, I realize that there are no easy answers.  However, as Christians we are called to help set people free.  Jesus demands it.  I determine to stand on the Rock.

Try to solve this problem.  “A bat and a ball cost $1.10 in total.  The bat costs $1 more than the ball.  How much does the ball cost?”  Quickly.  If you came up with an answer of $.10 you’re in good company.  More than 50% of students at Harvard, MIT, and Princeton came up with the same answer.  However, you and they are wrong.  Slow down and let’s do the math.  If the bat costs $1 more than the ball and the ball costs $.10, then the bat would cost $1.10.  $1.10 + $.10 = $1.20.  The correct answer is the ball costs $.05.  Why do so many get that answer wrong?  Because $.10 immediately comes to mind and many don’t double-check their thinking.

One more.  How many murders occur in Michigan during one year?  Psychologists have found that although most know that Detroit, a high crime rate city, is part of Michigan, the majority neglect to consider this in their answer.  Indeed, the average guess of those who were asked about Michigan was lower than the guesses of a similar group who were asked about the murder rate in Detroit.  It seems that knowledge of the facts doesn’t always factor into one’s thinking.

As we focus on Black history in the month of February, I thought it might be important to highlight that many times, our first impressions are not accurate.  We might believe that in a world where we have an African-American president we no longer need to focus on Black history, but is that true?  What about the statement that celebrating Black history is healthy and necessary?  Is that true?

I don’t intend to answer those questions, only encourage honest reflection.  This February, let’s seriously consider our beliefs and perspectives about what it means to be Black in a country where the majority are White and what it means to be a majority Black church, with a commission to take the everlasting gospel to “every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people.” (Rev 14:6)

Paul said, “from now on, we regard no one according to the flesh.” (2 Cor 5:16)  This is because in Christ, all are made new.  However, we must admit that fleshly reasoning rears its ugly head even when we are certain we are right.  The way to combat fleshly reasoning is not by quoting the first Bible verses that come to mind, but carefully examining the evidence, prayerfully listening to all sides, humbly acknowledging that our first impressions may be false, and by treating those who have differing opinions with love and grace.  If we do that, then this will be a very enlightening Black History Month.

Joe Paterno died this past Sunday.  He was a loyal husband and an admired father.  He was Penn State’s head coach for 46 years.  For decades he was seen as a symbol of integrity in collegiate athletics.  His football program had never been tainted by recruiting scandals.  He fielded outstanding teams with disciplined players whose graduation rates far exceeded that of most football programs.  He was one of only three active coaches to be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.  His singular achievement was the 409 victories that made him the most winning coach in college football history.

However, most Americans know of Joe Paterno because he was fired in November of 2011.  It was believed that Paterno knew of the alleged child sex abuse of his past assistant coach Jerry Sandusky and did little to stop him.  The sex abuse scandal rocketed across the media and Paterno’s reputation was dragged along with it.  It was a disappointing final curtain for what was a stellar career.

As I thought about the life of Joe Paterno, I was struck by how one spot in Paterno’s record could cause such damage.  We will never know all the details.  We cannot stand in judgment.  However, there are lessons for the Christian to be gleaned from the tragedy of Paterno’s ouster.  One short fall tainted 409 wins, but that was more than enough.

As Christians we sometimes forget that even seemingly small sins can destroy our  soul.  We think that because we are doing the right thing in so many areas of our lives, that we can be excused for a failing in some obscure part of our character.  However, one cherished sin is more than enough to destroy a life.  We know that “where sin abounded, grace did much more abound” (Rom 5:20)  However, grace is not an excuse to continue living in sin.  Just two verses later in Romans 6:1, 2 Paul says, “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound?  Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?”  However, many Christians have learned to live with certain sins in our lives.  We don’t always realize it, but these become cherished sins; sins that in the end may erase all the good that we accomplish by God’s grace.

In a statement commenting on the events that led to his firing, Joe Paterno said, “This is a tragedy.  It is one of the great sorrows of my life.  With the benefit of hindsight, I wish I had done more.”  It is unfortunately too late for Paterno to do more, but not for you and me.  We must search our hearts, confess our sins and repent of everything that is unlike Christ.  Just one stain can destroy your destiny.

What’s your greatest personal strength?  Honesty?  Compassion?  Kindness?  Humor?  Courage?  Modesty?  You probably didn’t pick self-control.  Researchers surveyed over a million individuals around the world and discovered that out of the 24 character strengths listed in their survey, self-control came in dead last.  Apparently willpower is in short supply these days.  This is a problem.  Lack of self-control is associated with almost every negative habit or experience.  Think of compulsive spending, impulsive violence, poor grades, alcohol and drug abuse, losing friends, losing your job, divorce or landing in prison.  All of these are associated with lack of self-control.

Researchers have discovered that willpower is like a muscle.  It can become worn out over time.  Many of us think that willpower is only needed for big challenges or choices, but the truth is that willpower is used for all our little choices as well.  Recently a study of over 200 individuals found that in a given day a person might have as many as 10,000 different desires.  Researchers concluded that people spend a about a quarter of their waking hours resisting desires.  That takes a lot of willpower.  Think about all the times you wanted to eat, sleep, to take a break from work, surf the web, check your email, or text a friend when you should have been doing something else.  All of that took willpower.  In a world where we have so many inputs and options our willpower can become so depleted that when we come to the difficult tasks that have long term benefits, we are so drained that we have little or no self-control.  We have no will power to have that honest conversation with a friend or loved one, stick to our exercise routine, stay away from pornography or just turn off the television.  It turns out that little distractions can have a big effect on how you handle life’s major challenges.  Solomon wrote, “Catch the foxes, the little foxes, before they ruin our vineyard.” (SoS 2:15 GNT) This is good advice.

Yet even better than removing all the little desires that call to us each day (this would be impossible), would be to focus on a greater desire; one that would overshadow all other desires.  Jesus said our first duty as Christians is to love God with our whole heart.  Did you ever stop and think that maybe the reason you fall into sin time and again, is not because you love sin so much, but because you love God so little?  In this month where so many are making resolutions, let us remember, “It is God who works in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure.” (Phil 2:13)  When God has His proper place in your life, He will give you the willpower to put all other things in their place as well.

This weekend around this nation we celebrate the life of Martin Luther King Jr.  Reflecting on his contribution to America reminded me of the song he quoted on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in 1963.

My country ’tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing.
Land where my fathers died, land of the Pilgrim’s pride,
From every mountainside, let freedom ring!

His next words after quoting that famous song were, “And if America is to be a great nation, this must become true.”  His statement was a reference to a future time when African Americans would have equal rights in our nation.  I wonder what he would say now that we have our first African American president.  Would he declare American now to be a great nation?

This week marks another milestone.  Last Wednesday marked the 10^th year of detainees being held at the Naval Base in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba.  There have been 779 detainees held there since 2002.  The youngest ever held there was 13 years old.  The oldest was 89.  Presently there are 171 detainees in Guantánamo.  They have never been charged nor convicted of any crime.  Many have never seen any evidence supporting their detention.  Many believe that these detainees are being tortured.  Yet even if this is not the case, these men are certainly not free.  Eighty-nine detainees have been cleared for release, yet this hasn’t impacted their freedom.  President Obama promised to close Guantánamo when he came into office, but last December he signed a law legalizing detention without charge or trial.  I wonder what Martin Luther King Jr. would say about that.

The promise of a nation to provide freedom seems elusive – incomplete at best.  However, we have another promise of freedom.  It comes not from a head of state but from the Head of the universe.  Christ’s word to each one of us is, “if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.” (John 8:36)  That’s a promise we can count on!  The freedom that comes from Christ transcends our circumstances.  It transcends ethnicity.  It transcends socio-economic status.  Yet this freedom does not come without responsibilities.  Paul the Apostle says, “For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.  For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.””  (Gal 5:13, 14)

If we are free, then the world should know this by our love, not just for those who are similar to us, but even for those who are very different from us.  On this MLK weekend, maybe the best question to reflect on is what would Jesus have us do with our freedom.