Dear Glen Mar friends,
I’m thinking about some of the gifts and witness of the Black Church on this first day of Black History Month. I’m no expert on the Black Church, but I have been blessed to serve a largely African-American parish as my first appointment, 14 years ago now, and have had the privilege of journeying with folks from that tradition who have blessed, challenged, taught and cared for me in my formation as a disciple of Jesus. Here are some things I’ve learned.
- Our God is a liberating God. We see it over and over. “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the house of slavery.”
- We are made free, not to pursue our own individualistic desires for their own sake, but rather, to be shaped into a people of God, under the Lordship of Jesus the Christ.
- In systems of slavery and oppression, God is decidedly on the side of the oppressed, the poor, and the marginalized.
- Scripture can be used (even by Satan!) in ways that do not further the cause of Christ. Something like 60% of the Bible slaveowners gave slaves was taken out. The main thread of the scriptural witness is dangerous to empire, slavery, idolatry, and systems of oppression. The Black Church reminds the world of this.
- A theology that does not change society is a dead theology. Preaching should be an agent for God to love, save, heal and free…and that often looks like comforting the afflicted or afflicting the comfortable. (stay tuned for 5 more lessons next week…)
This week, let’s talk in worship about how God is always seeming to do a “new thing,” how a Christian can cope with change, and what “new things” God is up to at Glen Mar in 2024.
The family of Victoria Wilkinson invites her church family to her Celebration of Life on Saturday, February 3 at 11:00 am here at Glen Mar. I hope you’ll come out to proclaim our resurrection hope and the certainty of our faith as we give thanks for this Glen Mar saint.
See you in Church,
Pastor Mandy
