Galatians 3:26-28
“For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.”
On December 7, 1942, I was seven years old, living in Camas, Washington. It was a Sunday morning and church had just ended. Some of the teens were in a car listening to the radio when the news flash was given that Pearl Harbor in Hawaii had just been bombed by the Japanese.
As people walked out of the little church and heard the news, they were stunned and acted as if they had just received a physical blow. The next day, President Franklin D. Roosevelt addressed a special meeting of the Senate and House of Representatives.
“Yesterday, December 7, 1941 — a date which will live in infamy — the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan.”
We were thrust into a world war that resulted in bloodshed never before imagined. Almost every neighborhood had a star in the window indicating that a member of the family was serving their country. The blue star indicated that the serviceman was still alive. When we saw a gold star, we knew that the family had been informed their loved one had been killed.
It was a time of hatred and prejudice. People of Japanese ancestry were no longer referred to as Japanese, but “Japs” or “Nips.” Innocent U.S. citizens of Japanese ancestry were rounded up and shipped to internment camps.
Following the war, a few Japanese students came to the United States to attend college. What a shock it was to discover that there were some Japanese who were Christians. Former enemies had been brothers in the Lord, even as they served in combat.
Unfortunately, prejudice has been—and always will be—contrary to God’s will. Prejudice in any form is in reality—“The Day of Infamy.” Read today’s Scripture again and see what Paul, by inspiration of the Holy Spirit, says about prejudice: “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female.”
As a child I can remember we kids singing a song at the top of our lungs: “Jesus loves the little children, all the children of the world. Red and yellow, black and white, they are precious in His sight, Jesus loves the little children of the world.”
May we break the bonds of infamy that have divided us and march forward in unity with other believers to serve with distinction in God’s mighty army.
Blessings dear hearts. Walk with God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing.
– – – Pastor Cecil