From Your Synod Associate Executive for Racial Justice

In the 1960s, parish priest Peter Scholtes wrote the hymn “They’ll Know We Are Christians by Our Love” as a song for his youth choir amid being active in the Civil Rights and as a tangible response to interracial events. What began as a local musical response to racism, violence, division, and unrest has since become a global hymn of unity and faith. Its lyrics proclaim a radical simplicity: the world will recognize Christ’s followers not by their words alone, but by the love they show one another and the wider community. We sing these words in our worship services across an array of congregations. Go ahead and sing or hum these words. As you do so, I invite you and us to examine how our faith is made visible through action. What are those tangible and visible ways in which we have let the world and our surrounding communities experience the love, compassion, and zest for justice of Christ?

Scripture grounds this call in Matthew 25:31–46. In this well-known passage, Jesus tells of the Son of Man separating the nations as a shepherd separates sheep from goats. Those welcomed into the kingdom are not commended for theological precision or eloquent prayers, but for acts of mercy: feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, welcoming the stranger, visiting the sick and imprisoned. “Just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me” (Matt. 25:40, NRSV). Who are the marginalized, silenced, voiceless, and those who live in fear of being harmed in today’s world? Love, in this teaching, is not abstract—it is embodied in acts of justice, compassion, and care.

As a Matthew 25 organization we committed ourselves to become a church of action and witness through 1) building congregational vitality, 2) dismantling structural racism, and 3) eradicating systemic poverty. These commitments reflect the very heart of Scholtes’ hymn: love is made visible when Christians join hands across difference to serve, to advocate, and to stand alongside the most vulnerable. The question is who are the most vulnerable. It is easy to be distracted by news media outlets, propaganda, and political agendas. As a Matthew 25 body, we are reminded to seek the wellbeing of those who cannot do so for themselves. Who are the voiceless in your communities? What voices are not being included in your conversations and prayers? What faces are we leaving out? Whose pain are we prioritizing? Whose pain are we conveniently forgetting, dismissing, or anesthesized from?

For those of us called to the work of racial justice, the hymn, the gospel, and our commitment to be a Matthew 25 body challenge us to move beyond statements into practice. Love demands that we recognize how systemic racism continues to deny the fullness of life to many of God’s children. It demands that we use our voices, resources, and institutional power to repair harm and to create equitable communities. In this way, racial justice is not an optional ministry but a central expression of discipleship. If the world is to know we are Christians by our love, then our love must be courageous enough to confront racism and compassionate enough to walk with those most harmed by it.

In our congregations and presbyteries, we live out this calling whenever we share meals with neighbors experiencing food insecurity, mentor children left behind by unequal schools, advocate for policy reform, or examine our own structures that perpetuate exclusion. Each act, however small, proclaims the gospel truth that Christ is present in the “least of these.” Each act sings again Scholtes’ refrain: they will know we are Christians by our love.

As we continue our journey as a Matthew 25 people, may we remember that love is not sentiment but sacrifice, not comfort but courage, not only prayer but practice. And may our shared ministry of racial justice bear witness to the reconciling love of Christ who calls us into one family, one song, one mission of hope. Who are the “least of these” in our communities, families, congregations? You know who they are. May God give us the courage to have compassion and engage in acts or repair to bring about the peace of Christ and God’s love into our relationships.

Let us pray:

Loving God, you call us to follow Jesus with hearts open to the “least of these.” Fill us with courage to act justly, compassion to serve tenderly, and humility to walk faithfully in your love. May our words and deeds bear witness to Christ, so that all may know we are Christians by our love. Amen.

Paz y bendiciones (peace and blessings)! 

Rev. Ruth-Aimée Belonni-Rosario

Associate Executive for Racial Justice

ruthaimee@synodofthecovenant.org

248-752-3697