Worldwide Revival: An 8 Day Devotional with NewsboysSýnishorn

DAY FIVE: COLOR

“I don’t see color” is a phrase that we hear all the time. Surely you’ve heard it before too, maybe you’ve even said those words yourself. It’s usually a pure hearted sentence spoken in the context of discussing race and ethnicity. In the world we live in today, racism and diversity are topics that deeply affect people. The subject matter yields endless opinions and personal experiences, and because of that, setting out to write a song about it felt impossible at times.

I’m Not Sure How I Forgot // But I See The Very Face of God // In The Ways We’re Different From Each Other // Here In A Thousand Tones and Shades // We’re All Just Family That He’s Made // I See The Beauty and The Wonder // When I See Color

If you look at a photo of our band, you’ll see four white men and one black man.

The leader of our group, Michael Tait, grew up in an African-American household in the heart of Capitol Hill in DC. Duncan, our drummer, was born and raised in Mooloolaba, Australia. He immigrated to the United States in the early 90s. Jeff and Jody hail from the midwest. Born in Michigan and Indiana, both raised by hard-working parents. Adam grew up in Phoenix, Arizona, where he played competitive sports for his whole childhood and studied Spanish, a primary language spoken by his friends and teammates. The demographic of our upbringings could not be more different from one another. Our geographic locations, the level of diversity we were surrounded by, our exposure to other cultures... all five of us grew up with such different perspectives on the world.

“For those of you who were baptized into Christ have been clothed with Christ. There is no Jew or Greek, slave or free, male and female; since you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, heirs to the promise. ” – Galatians 3:27-28

These verses in Galatians beautifully describe the essence of God’s perspective on diversity. It’s a perspective we aimed to capture in the lyrics of Color. In Christ, our differences do not define our worth or our standing before God. Instead, we’re unified as one body, sharing in God’s grace equally – no matter our racial, cultural, or social differences.

“For it was you who created my inward parts; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I will praise you because I have been remarkably and wondrously made. Your works are wondrous, and I know this very well.” – Psalms 139:14-15

The beautiful thing about diversity is that God designed it. He purposefully and intentionally made it so that we CAN see color. Diversity is not merely a societal construct, it’s a divine design. How incredible is that? Yet, despite the divine intent, the reality of sin persists. Racism, at its core, denies the inherent dignity of humanity. It’s a display of humanity’s brokenness, designed to push us apart from each other. The enemy wins when racism prevails. As Christians, we’re called to confront such sin, standing firm in our calling to love our neighbors as we’re loved by God – despite the color of their skin.

We All Fight The Fear of the Unknown // So We Draw Lines and Pick Up Sticks and Stones // It’s Time to Take A Look Around // Start Living in the Now // Like How It’s Gonna Be // For Eternity

Jesus’s life and ministry serve as a beautiful example of how we’re to display that love for others. There’s a lot to be learned from the way that Jesus consistently pursued the marginalized, consistently showing love, compassion, and kindness to all regardless of their background. Jesus extended love and mercy to all, just as we should to others. We can hold fast to the truth in Galatians 3 – celebrating the beauty and the wonder of His divine creativity. God created a colorful world, and He created you with eyes to see it. There’s so much beauty to be found in that!

1. What aspects of your own upbringing contribute to your outlook on topics such as race and diversity?

2. How does realizing our identity as “clothed with Christ” (Galatians 3:27) reshape our understanding of racial identity?

3. How can you tangibly show love to someone who is different from you this week?