Min. Byron Johnson, Assistant Minister for Regional Ministries
Mat 16:24: Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.
“In this moment, the whole nation and even the globe should digest and absorb EVERY SINGLE LESSON from Black History Month.”- Pastor Walter Lanier.
Tenacity. Perseverance. Determination. Power. Fight. Nonviolence. Justice. Dreams. Equality. Sacrifice. Responsibility. These are just some of the words that I progressively learned every February while going through public school. The documentaries and images of individuals of history fighting though the civil rights movement now praised as heroes are etched in my mind. It always gave me a sense of obligation that I too, as a black boy, should prepare to fight like they did at some point in life when I got older. As a kid, I was just simply inspired and curious, but boy, does time sure move fast!
In 2026, my conviction is that as Black History Month is the celebration of heroes who fought for the justice of the oppressed, the emphasis of this sacred time also serves a mirror held up to our current condition. How far have we come with the lessons of the past? How much do we value the lessons to integrate the burden of the fight for justice into our lives?
Black history reminds us that progress has always required courage, faith, sacrifice, and willingness to confront systems that devalue human life. More deeply, black history reveals to us what it means to pick up our crosses and the responsibility to be disciples of Jesus, which comes with a cost. I believe when Jesus said “Follow me,” it wasn’t only to dance in the lily fields all day. Jesus’ call is for transformation. And the fight of black history is for transformation-on the Inside and in the world.
Christ calls his followers not to pick sides, but to pick up crosses; not to protect preferences & comfort, but to pursue justice; not to echo the culture of division, but to embody Christ—standing where truth is costly, where love is inconvenient, and where freedom still needs faithful witnesses across the globe!
