Many of the outstanding players...
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Many of the outstanding players on our national athletic teams happen to be black. A young person might think that this is the way it has been in our country for a long time. However, those of us who are older have seen the day when no black persons were permitted on our sports teams.
More than a generation ago, the manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers gave a young black, Jackie Robinson, a chance to prove himself in professional baseball. In the beginning of his first season, the Dodgers were playing at Cincinnati. When Robinson appeared on the diamond, there were many angry racial taunts from the crowd. When the cries of the racist fans reached a high pitch, Pee Wee Reese, a white player for the Dodgers called time out. Reese then walked over to Robinson, placed his arm around his shoulder and stood there silently. It gave a powerful message to the crowd. Reese was telling them that Robinson was his friend, his brother.
The act of Pee Wee Reese that day was a small one indeed. However, it was a beginning in changing the minds of many whites, and breaking down the racial prejudice that existed. We might say that it was a "mustard seed act."
A few years later, when Rosa Parks got tired of always sitting in the back of the bus in Birmingham because she was black, she committed a "mustard seed act." Again, this small deed went a long way in changing the thinking of many white people.
Each one of us can help the growth of the kingdom of Christ through our "mustard seed acts."
-- Dessem
More than a generation ago, the manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers gave a young black, Jackie Robinson, a chance to prove himself in professional baseball. In the beginning of his first season, the Dodgers were playing at Cincinnati. When Robinson appeared on the diamond, there were many angry racial taunts from the crowd. When the cries of the racist fans reached a high pitch, Pee Wee Reese, a white player for the Dodgers called time out. Reese then walked over to Robinson, placed his arm around his shoulder and stood there silently. It gave a powerful message to the crowd. Reese was telling them that Robinson was his friend, his brother.
The act of Pee Wee Reese that day was a small one indeed. However, it was a beginning in changing the minds of many whites, and breaking down the racial prejudice that existed. We might say that it was a "mustard seed act."
A few years later, when Rosa Parks got tired of always sitting in the back of the bus in Birmingham because she was black, she committed a "mustard seed act." Again, this small deed went a long way in changing the thinking of many white people.
Each one of us can help the growth of the kingdom of Christ through our "mustard seed acts."
-- Dessem
