It's the third Monday of January, and that means in the states we are celebrating Martin

Luther King Jr. Day, a fitting day to step back and assess the current state of race

relations in this country, and the timely question comes to us from a listener named

Mark.

Hello Pastor John, thank you for taking my question.

What is your sense for where race relations stand, especially in the church right now?

Are we making any progress or are we at a standstill since 2016, things have been tumultuous

to say the least, and I find myself bracing for another hit to these relations in this

presidential election year to come.

Where are you at as you look around today?

Well, let's start with the easy one, the question, the glorious one, where am I as I look

around today?

Where am I standing?

I am standing joyfully and expectantly with King David.

As he says, all the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the Lord and all the

families of the nations shall worship before you for kingship belongs to the Lord and

he rules over the nation, Psalm 2227, kingship belongs to the Lord Jesus and he is gathering

his people from all the families of the nations.

I'm standing with King David.

Where am I?

I'm standing in heaven, exulting with the 24 elders as they sing and praise Christ.

Where are they are you to take the scroll and to open its seals for you were slain and

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