Worship at Mother Emanuel AME Church, July 26, 2015

The emotions--grief, anger, resilience, hope, resistance, love--were as palpable as the muggy heat on this July morning.  

Walking down Calhoun Street, named to honor a defender of slavery, John C. Calhoun, we looked for a steeple, of which there were many, to guide us to our destination. Finally, we arrived at the now unmistakable white faced building with a tall steeple and a proud people called Mother Emanuel AME Church whose slogan on the bulletin reads: “Unashamedly Traditional, Surprisingly Progressive.”  Outside her walls were symbols--flowers and candles, posters of white and black hands fist bumping over a caption, “One Skin,” banners with hanging pens inviting one to add a name to those who care--baring the aforementioned sentiments. It was the setting of a vigil where people come to mourn and pray in the heart of downtown Charleston.

We navigated passed tourists taking pictures in order to ascend the stairs leading to the church sanctuary doors. The place which seats some 400 was filled with people who squeezed into its dark-wood cushion-backed pews. Most of those in attendance were familiar with the unairconditioned space as they waved their bulletins to fan them, rocked back and forth to the rhythm of the liturgy, and stood and waved as part of the lively worship; but, a significantly large number of us were new to the place, as we had come to be present and join in the grieving process, and the journey to healing and reconciliation. My family and I were among these hundreds of newcomers who gathered to worship, delighted in the youth praise dancers, sang with a choir and soloists, kneeled to pray together, and were challenged by the word from the Book of Esther given to the preacher, “you gotta speak up!” and share the difference making good news of the gospel.

There was no denying this was a community in mourning, still needing to heal, but it was also a community carrying on with the business of being a gospel people--welcoming the stranger, praying for the sick, serving in the city, seeking to be a beacon of light. The interim pastor, the Rev. Dr. Norvel Goff, Sr., filling shoes lost in a tragedy, was boldly at ease with the congregation and guests. Some guests were invited to come and offer a word to the congregation, including three representatives from various families who were gathered for reunion--two of whom sang solos spontaneously!--as well as an elected official from the Commonwealth of Virginia who joined others in offering words of condolences and encouragement by citing scripture. I loved to hear the minister negotiate with the congregation about how long his sermon might be as the numerous seemingly spontaneous acts were proposed and later agreed upon, "If ya'll give me twelve minutes to let me allow this young man to sing, I'll take 12 minutes from my sermon." It was a beautiful solo by a young man, and elder, visiting from a Church of God in Christ. This was a youth led service, meaning the various aspects of the service were led by the church's young people. 

Ruby Gene and Zia stood mesmerized by the young girls liturgical dance praise team.

 

During the time of prayer, worshippers streamed down the aisles to gather around the altar as the minister uttered a litany promises of God from scripture. Just when most had cleared the altar, a bent over elderly woman, surely a church Mother, dressed elegantly in a blue dress and hat, was escorted by two other women to the altar, where she knelt down to pray, and as she did so, the minister placed his hands on her head and lingered to pray with her as well. 

The sermon was inspired by Esther and Mordecai's willingness to speak up during a threatening time (Esther 4:14-17). Using that underlying theme, the minister encouraged all of us to speak up when we see troubling circumstances, when we see people in need of prayer, when we see injustices, "you gotta speak up"--as it may make all the difference for, even save the lives of, your friends, your neighbors, this country, this world.    

About halfway through the two and a half hour worship service, Trasie took the girls down to the basement/Fellowship Hall where they could be less confined (it was hot and hard to keep them still at this point). The worship service is broadcast on a video stream into the basement and chairs and tables are set up for people to worship there in an airconditioned less formal setting. I joined them after the worship service was over, and saw the community beginning to set up for a meal they would be having later, which explained the fried chicken I smelled as I walked down the balcony stairs!  Completed in 1891, this Fellowship Hall has been home to countless prayer meetings, bible studies, and seniors gatherings, and seen many bellies filled; and is also the place where the Emanuel 9 lost their lives in one horrific act.  It was humbling to witness the welcome and resilience of those most affected by such a tragedy, and join with thousands of others to offer our prayers for healing and reconciliation, and speak up the name, which has come to encompass so much good and inspiration for so many people in this church and community, the name of Jesus-- the Prince of Peace.   

Ruby Gene begged for a picture to be taken with Jordan, a member of the Emanuel AME Church Praise Dancers, July 26, 2015--the Fellowship Hall in the lower level of the church. 

 

 

Healer Jesus - Mark 1:29-39

Commerce Presbyterian Church

February 8, 2015

A service of healing and wholeness

Mark 1:29-39

Former Haitian President, Catholic Priest Father Jean-Bertrand Aristide said during a homily in a Haitian church in 1986:

“People [often] read the Gospel as if it pertained [only] to another place and time;

but, the struggles described [in the gospels] are in the here and now.

The oppression of the poor, the abuse of the vulnerable,

and the redemption that comes with fighting for what is right—

what ideas could be more relevant to our dear Haiti?”  (mass St. Jean Bosco, 1986 as remembered by Paul Farmer and recorded by Tracy Kidder in Mountains beyond Mountains: 105:2003).

The oppression of the poor, the abuse of the vulnerable, and the redemption that comes with fighting for what is right--What ideas could be more relevant in our dear United States of America?   

Yes, I believe the work and message of Jesus is as relevant as ever, and is the work of the church, on our behalf, and carried out by us.

The fame of Jesus has quickly spread.

Now, the scripture says, the whole town gathered at the door where he was.

Who were these masses coming to Jesus?

In Jesus’ day, there was a significant gap between the haves and the have nots. Over 90% of the population were peasants in a primarily agrarian economy.

There was taxation from the religious establishment, as well as from an occupying Roman government.  

It’s not hard to imagine this whole town coming to Jesus are among the most poor.

Disease and physical disability were knotted together with the cycle of poverty.

Dirt Roads in Santa Fe

At any time going to visit someone in Santa Fe, you may end up on a dirt road.  There are basically two types of dirt roads that exist here.  One leads to the "romanticized wild" southwest, the other leads to the wild ghettos of santa fe; one leads to english speaking outsiders, the other leads to spanish speaking outsiders; one is smooth, easy to drive on, the other is full of holes, dips, and bumps and requires concentration, and patience; one has homes worth millions, the other rented homes called "trailers". One has a few people in a lot of space, the other many people in small spaces. 

I find myself on both roads from time to time, in-between most of the time.

This evening I was in the ghetto.  Met with a bi-racial couple having martial difficulties. The Spanish-speaking man had a lot to share, a fascinating and tragic and hopeful story of abuse, immigration, isolation, drug addiction, recuperation, and uncertainty.  I hold this couple and their two month old twin girls in my prayers.    

Mk1,40-45 sermon

Sure Jesus, I won’t tell anyone….
Mark 1:40-45, 2 Kings 5:1-14
Westminster Presbyterian Church, Santa Fe

February 15, 2009

I have joined a new club. Wow! I mean it has been so cool for me to be in this club. It’s kind of a wink wink, nod nod club. You don’t have to say much to know who is in it. “Oh really, how old is yours?” “Ah, yes, I understand.” (slide 1, Ruby Gene and me). Being a Dad has been an amazing experience for me so far. I’d heard a lot of things about parenting, before, but I didn’t really know what it was going to be like…now I’m part of the club.

I want to thank each and everyone of you for your love and support for Trasie and me throughout her pregnancy, the special time during the birth, and now in these early days of Ruby Gene’s life. I’m not used to getting so much attention..oh, wait… I remember, when people have stopped by to drop off a little gift or maybe some food, it’s not me they’re interested in seeing is it.

And, God willing, I look forward to everyone getting a chance to meet her next week. I wonder if she’ll sit through the entire service? It will be the first of many sermons she’ll hear me preach “bless her heart.”
It’s crazy for me to think about her growing up…and what life has in store for her. I kind of wish she would just stay small. Like she is now, even if it means restless nights. The world can be a difficult place, a harsh place. Unfair it seems at times.

This morning’s passage from Mark implicitly names the cruelty that can be experienced in life. Did you catch it? The leper in the story, at one point in his life, was a baby child, just like my Ruby Gene. Probably doted on and loved like Ruby Gene has been by so many wonderful people. Maybe he did well in school; maybe even had a family of his own.

But something happens…a tragic turn of events. Disease. Leprosy. Now he is restricted to living out in the “open field.”¹ After so many people around him, now he’s isolated, not welcomed in the public places. He’s an outcast. Leprosy “…a slow, chronic disease that attacks the peripheral nervous system and motor skills, often leading to disability and disfigurement.” ²Not much chance of coming across someone with leprosy in our day.³
But back in Jesus’ day, it was a fairly prevalent thing; and there were harsh strict rules dealing with lepers. ⁴ Lepers were impure so they were kept apart. There was little chance for them to become clean, and be restored to society. The leper says to Jesus, “if you choose, make me clean.” It seems others who knew the cleansing codes, chose not to. Jesus sees the man and our translation says he was moved with pity…other translations say filled with compassion, or feeling sorry for him...

Okay, so here’s a cool greek word for the week, we actually have two of them this morning. splanchnizomai (slide 2). When Jesus sees the man he was splanchnizomai. - “profound compassion that one is moved to act on behalf of someone else.”⁵ Jesus splanchnizomai:

People are busy lobbying for various laws to be pasted about any number of issues these days. Many do so for selfish gain. But some do so on behalf of others who are marginalized and oppressed in society—Who? Immigrants, homeless, gays and lesbians, minorities, people with disabilities, the list goes on. I happened to be at the rotunda Thursday, it was quite cold but that didn’t stop Father Juan. Bald, standing in the cold, he’d come all the way up from Roswell to speak on behalf of workers who were not being treated with fairness and dignity.

Is this splanchnizomai? Drawing on the tradition of Ezekiel,⁶ Jesus’ feelings and action “address more than a spiritual and personal dilemma; he is condemning social and religious practices that contribute to the misery of those in the greatest need.”⁷ Jesus is opposed to the oppressive system that would marginalize and exclude this leper, so Jesus does choose, and he touches the man, breaking down barriers.

And there is healing and power in Jesus’ touch. Jesus touched this man. Perhaps he could have healed him from a distance as Elisha did Naaman in the story from Kings. Naaman was an important man, he traveled a long distance to meet the prophet in Israel named Elisha. And he got the healing he wanted…if he would only go down to the waters and wash. But what’s interesting as we compare the interaction between Naaman and Elisha, and that of Jesus and the leper. Elisha knew the Leviticus laws, the purity codes, so maybe he didn’t want to become unclean by coming into contact with—by touching—a leper⁸....But, Jesus, the new prophet of Israel, the one Mark says is the Son of God,

knows the implications of touching this man. “Jesus, if you choose.” “I do choose. Be made clean!” And there is the touch. He is made clean…and then strangely, Jesus tells him: “Shhh, don’t tell anyone!” The translation is “sternly warns him.” (Slide 3). Our second greek word: Embrimesamenos. A translation I like is “snorting with indignation”. Snorting with indignation Jesus tells the man not to say anything, rather to go back, appear before the religious authorities that had refused to allow this man to be part of society, and show them, as a testimony against them.⁹ Jesus is snorting at those who created and enforce this kind of harsh treatment of this child of God.
“But don’t tell anyone who did this!”
“Sure…I won’t tell anybody.”
Many people wonder why Jesus tells the man to keep quiet. All over Mark’s gospel, we see Jesus telling people to: Shhh, keep quiet. The messianic secret. Why? Aren’t disciples supposed to proclaim the good news? Doesn’t Jesus want people to know who he is? Theories abound, but here in these verses, it seems quite apparent to me why Jesus wanted this man now cured of leprosy to keep his trap shut. In the verses just before this passage begins Jesus says to his disciples: “Let us go on to the neighboring towns, so that I may proclaim the message there also; for that is what I came out to do.” That I may proclaim the message there also, for that is what I came out to do. The passage continues: He went throughout Galilee, proclaiming the message in their synagogues and casting out demons. But, how things change in just six verses. At the end of this encounter with the leper Mark says, “But [the cured man] went out and began to proclaim it freely, and to spread the word, so that Jesus could no longer go into a town openly, but stayed out in the country…” It seems like Jesus didn’t want this man to say anything because he knew that if he did, according to the laws of those in power, according to the social structure which ruled the day and could determine who was acceptable to have around and who wasn’t, Jesus didn’t want the word to get out that he had touched this “unclean” man.

And when it did get out he could no longer do what he came out to do, proclaim the good news…. But this cured man did. It’s funny, the leper is told to do two things, appear before the priests, and to not tell anyone. Did he do either one? Follows directions listens well: Non-satisfactory!¹⁰ Oh sure, Jesus…I won’t tell anyone. How could he not? Can’t you see him heading into town and runs into that neighbor who grew up down the street:

“Hey, Jerry (short for Jeremiah), is that you?”
“Yes.”
“Well, you sure look different, did you do something with your hair?”
“No.”
“Well what is it…?”
“Well, I used to have a problem with my skin…it was kind of falling off.”
“Oh yeah..wow what happened?”

And after he tells one person, he might as well tell everyone else. He went out to proclaim it freely, to spread the word…. He becomes for the early community a model witness. His life has been radically transformed by Christ’s touch; he can’t contain himself. In a complete role reversal, Jesus can no longer move about from town to town proclaiming the good news, but this cured man can.

And I think about this and our own lives. Jesus is not here in the flesh to go out and travel from town to town and proclaim the good news. But, do you know who is? People who have been touched by the Christ. People who’ve been sick, people who’ve been lonely, people who have been excluded from society. And thanks to Jesus breaking down barriers and overcoming fears, these people have been made whole, can be integrated back into society. Who are these people?

You and me….Have we not been touched by Christ’s love? Made clean! I know it, I’ve heard your stories. I know it, I’ve broken bread of life and shared the cup of salvation with you. It’s happened in my life: if ya’ll would have seen me in high school, wow. My mom sent me some pictures a few weeks ago, and boy. [Show picture] I was some kind of freak. [I had a shaved head, I was really skinny, braces, pimples all over, I’m sitting in this chair all slouched over. ]

No wonder girls didn’t talk to me.
In college, I experienced Christ’s touch in a profound way. So much of the fear, anxiety, and worry that had been a part of my life, was gone. I securely embraced by God’s love and forgiveness…I remember when I came home that Christmas break, I was hanging out with some friends from high school, and one good friend said to me, “Topple, (that’s what I was called) something’s different about you…” yes, God changed my life. Wow.

Still, there are many times in my life when I keep quiet. When I keep to myself and it’s easy to not share this love with others. Does that happen to some of you? Oh yeah, Jesus told the leper to keep it on the DL. On the down low. hush hush…so maybe that’s what I’m supposed to do too? Just…trying to be faithful.” Why do we hesitate to share our experience? Do we forget? Are we not sure about what happened? Are we afraid of what others might think? When something awesome has happened in my life… I want to go out and share it right away. When we tell our stories, God’s story, we’re not beating the bible over someone’s head, or turning into fanatics, we’re witnessing against those who would establish and maintain oppressive forces in society, and celebrating with those who have also experienced this liberation, God’s grace.

Each of us has our own experiences. Our own encounters. Sure we have disappointments in life. There is so much suffering, so much pain. What’s interesting about these healing stories we read about in the gospels is that Jesus didn’t just wipe out all cases of leprosy, which might have been a little more effective in terms of overcoming the oppressive social structures of the day. “No one has leprosy anymore, I guess we can get rid of that law. Thanks Jesus.”
It’s kind of weird…. He touched lives with a healing touch, one at a time.
And we can do the same.
I went to the Santa Fe High Christmas choral concert this year…Dulce Cervantes had invited me. And there she was along with about 20 other teens. It didn’t take long to hear one person singing a little off key, a little more loudly than the others, and not necessarily singing the right words during the performance.
Once or twice the conductor had to quiet this young woman a bit. She had down syndrome. And as easy it may have been for her peers to shun her or just ignore her to protect their own reputation, there was Dulce, singing right next to her, trying to help her find her place in her music. Touching her life, while trying to sing her best. Did I tell you? Dulce’s in the club.

I’m part of the club. Yes, I’m part of the dad club. But even more significant, I’m part of the Jesus club (corny?.. yes). This club is not exclusive. Anyone is welcome, and everyone can share. It’s the club where we gather around the table, we share in bread and drink and friendship and love. It’s the club where barriers are torn down, and anyone can sit down beside you or me. Anyone can be made clean, be made whole, be given new life! Maybe we need to start inviting more people, sharing a little bit about what God has done in our lives, touching the lives of others out of thankfulness for what God has done for us…

how can we keep it just to ourselves? Sure jesus, I won’t tell anyone….

Announce: Next Sunday, Special Sunday in the life of the church Maya Chavez will be debuting on piano! She called me this week and said, hey Chester, are you going to be at Church next Sunday? Yes. Is Ruby Gene going to be there. We hope so…Oh me, too. I’m going to play piano! We will be ordaining and installing the new class of elders and deacons. And after church we will have the fourth Sunday Pot-Luck. (bring your favorite dishes, and I know that many of you know how to cook, I’ve sampled many of you dishes over the past two months. Also, Imam Aziz al eddebbarh from the Mosque here in town will be speaking during the potluck about the recent events in Palestine and Israel.

1 Ofelia Ortega, Mark 1:40-45 Theological Perspective, Feasting on the Word, pp. 358-360.
2 http://www.upi.com/Health_News/2008/11/10/Leprosy_being_diagnosed_in_United_States/UPI-94971226295342/
3 There are an estimated 150 cases of leprosy diagnosed each year in the United States. According to the World Health Organization, in 2004 the number of patients with leprosy worldwide was 457,792.
4 cf. Leviticus 13 and 14
5 Gary Charles, “Mark 1:40-45, Exegetical Perspective,” Feasting on the Word, ed. Bartlett, Brown Taylor, pp. 357-360.
6 Ezekiel 34; cf. Mark 6 and Jesus splanchnizomai for the “sheep without a shepherd.”

7 Gary Charles, “Mark 1:40-45, Exegetical Perspective,” Feasting on the Word, ed. Bartlett, Brown Taylor, pp. 357-360.

8 Not only was Namaan a leper but he was also a foreigner, a double-edged sword, in terms of purity codes.

9 Ched Myers, Binding the Strong Man: A Political Reading of Mark’s Story of Jesus, 153

10 These are the marks I used to get in elementary school.