April 23, 2026 - Good Morning! It’s Thursday, April 23.
There’s a famous quote, sometimes attributed to Dr. Martin Luther King, that goes like this - “11:00 on Sunday morning is the most segregated hour of the week”. That’s more than just an opinion, statistics bear it out. This Sunday morning, 80% of church members will attend a church where their race is in the overwhelming majority. Most likely you’re one of them.
Why is this true? Why has it always been true? We could spend a dozen devotionals discussing that answer - because there are dozens of reasons. I’ve never been part of a church, thank heaven, that aggressively discouraged integration. There was a time, of course, when churches like that existed. But those days, for the most part, are over. I’ve been a member of majority-white congregations throughout my life, and have witnessed, time and time again, visiting minority families being warmly welcomed. But still, MLK’s quote continues to describe the status quo.
The answer, I suppose, is partly about preference. Preference for musical style or preaching style or even preference for fashion style. I’ve had the privilege and the pleasure, over the years, of visiting in Black churches, Hispanic congregations, even a Burmese service and a Navaho one too. Each time I received a warm welcome. Each time I enjoyed the experience immensely. But I never left any of those services with any idea of joining that church.
And, of course, some of our Christian brothers and sisters prefer the language of their church. They spend six days a week living and working in a culture that speaks their second language. For them, It must surely be a comfort to sing worship songs and hear the Word preached in the language of their birth.
However we look at this question, however we answer it, we can always look forward to the day that John described in Revelation 7, when he saw “a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, every tribe, every people, every language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, crying out in one voice - Praise and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and strength be to our God forever and ever!”
What a Sunday that will be!
Meet you back here tomorrow,
David
cindertex50@yahoo.com
