Human Made Labels

When I worked at an African American Church on the South Side of Chicago I was given the honor to preach a few times. I worked hard on the sermons and put a lot of thought into how to preach to those from another culture in a different context than myself.

On Saturday evening before one of my sermons – The pastor of the congregation called to inform me that one of their children had been shot in a drive by shooting that day. They were in the hospital and going to be ok – he explained that this was not the first of their children to be shot.

He knew that the congregation would be sad – devastated – and I really needed to have some good news for them that morning. Good News about liberation, redemption, and healing. The sermon I planned – had to change!

Late that night I stared at a computer screen looking for the Holy Spirit’s inspiration on how to change my sermon and all I could think was – God I don’t think I should preach. HOW can this black congregation hear good news from me on a day like today – a white-single-student-female-young preacher?

In many ways it was a very painful year. But God stretched me and I stood in the pulpit that Sunday and preached from the Gospel of John the 20th chapter. We know it as the doubting Thomas story. And I said, Jesus says BLESSED are those that have not seen and yet believe.

We have not seen an end to violence, discrimination, hunger, disease, loss, devastation, loneliness, racism, sexism, or pain – these worldly things are a reality and God comes to us in the midst of it and says, “Peace be with you.”

To my surprise after the sermon – I realized that the Good News I was worried they couldn’t hear from a white-single-student-female-young preacher that Sunday – was Good News not from me and all my labels – but from the Word of God.