Love Does - Pastor Zach's Response

I want to start off by saying I’m sorry. I’m sorry to all people of color for never being an advocate for you, for never fighting for you, for not truly standing alongside you. I would share social media images, talk about how bad I felt about everything going on, but after a few weeks, I’d be back to my usual life. But I’m done living like that, today I’m choosing to truly LOVE.

In college, I was introduced to what would become my favorite book - Love Does by Bob Goff. It talks all about how there’s action behind love, it’s more than just a word or a feeling. I read the book and I was like “Yes, I’m going to live this out! I’m truly going to love people!” And so Love Does became my slogan. I even made a sign of it that hangs in my kitchen. But what I’ve started to realize is that my love doesn’t always “do”. And this was especially true when it came to racial injustice in our world. And for that again, I’m sorry.

1 John 3:16 is my favorite verse, “This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters.” As Christians, we are called to love like Jesus, and Jesus gave up EVERYTHING for you and me. He willingly gave his life for his “brothers and sisters”. His love does.

I have 1 John 3:16 tattooed on my arm as a reminder to love everyone like Jesus. And Jesus has been reminding me that his love went far beyond a social media post, far beyond just feeling bad, farther than this blog post. Jesus “had to go" through Samaria even though most people avoided it (John 4:4), Jesus called out the injustice that the Pharisees pushed on Gentiles (Matthew 23), Jesus flipped tables when confronted with lies and deceit (Mark 11), Jesus said “whatever we do (or do not do) for the least of these we do (or do not do) for him” (Matthew 25). His love does.

To my brothers and sisters, my heart is broken for you, but I’m not content to just be sad anymore. Because the goal has never been for people to feel bad, the goal has been for us to change direction. To take action, not sit in the middle, but to step up and help make a difference.

And so, to all my brothers and sisters who have fought and continue to fight for equality and justice, I’m done just standing on the sidelines cheering you on. I’m joining in. I’m going to seek to understand better what you go through by reading and listening. I’m going beyond social media posts, beyond just feeling bad, beyond a blog post… I want to stand alongside you and fight for equality and justice. I want to truly show that Jesus’ love does.

-Zach

*I am starting to read some of the books suggested to me by friends. I will be, and maybe as you are reading this already have been, heading to Minneapolis to help out churches/other organizations, and actually stand alongside my brothers and sisters.

If you want to make this decision to start moving to action as well, please reach out and I’d love to do this together!*