Posts with the tag sermon

1-21-09 National Prayer Service: Harmonies of Liberty

Mike W — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 12:22:22 EST

General Minister And President Preaches At National Prayer Service
http://www.disciples.org/tabid/58/itemid/176/General-Minister-And-President-Preaches-At-Nationa.aspx
or
http://tinyurl.com/Watkins20090121

(Washington, D.C. - DNS - Jan. 22, 2009) - People from a variety of faith perspectives have reacted enthusiastically to General Minister and President Sharon E. Watkins' sermon at the National Prayer Service in Washington D.C. The sermon took place on Jan. 21, the day after the inauguration of the nation's 44th president.

Disciples and faith leaders from around the globe have congratulated Watkins through e-mails, web postings and phone calls. "How inspired I was by your sermon," said Judy Furber, one e-mail respondent. "It touched my heart and my mind profoundly."

Watkins spoke at the National Cathedral before a crowd of 3,000 that included newly elected President Barack Obama, First Lady Michelle Obama, Vice President Joe Biden and his wife, Dr. Jill Biden, former President Bill Clinton and his wife, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Watkins was the first woman selected to give the historic address, a tradition that dates back to President George Washington. She was chosen to deliver the sermon by Obama, the nation's first African-American president. Cynthia L. Hale, Senior Pastor of Ray of Hope Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Decatur, Ga., gave the scripture at the service.

Charles A. Howell III, a member of Woodmont Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Nashville, Tenn., said he heard both Sharon Watkins and Cynthia Hale speak and described both as terrific.

The service was carried live by several national news networks, including CNN, Fox News, MSNBC and C-Span. Watkins' sermon touched on several themes relating to both our country's civic and religious life. Her sermon was drawn in part from Isaiah 58:6-12, where God declares to the people of God that appropriate worship is through practicing justice. Watkins also quoted from Matthew 22:36-40, where Jesus gives the greatest commandments of all: to love the Lord your God with all your heart and soul and to love your neighbor as yourself.

In a portion of her sermon, Watkins also related a story attributed to Cherokee wisdom about the two wolves that struggle inside each one of us. "One wolf is vengefulness, anger, resentment, self-pity, fear..." she preached… "The other wolf is compassion, faithfulness, hope, truth, love... Looking directly at President Obama, who was sitting in the front pew, Watkins said, "We need you to feed the good wolf within you, to listen to the better angels of your nature, and by your example encourage us to do the same."

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Read the transcript of Dr. Watkins' sermon, "Harmonies of Liberty."
http://www.disciples.org/OfficeoftheGeneralMinisterandPresident/NewsandUpdates/HarmoniesofLiberty/tabid/483/Default.aspx
or
http://tinyurl.com/HarmoniesOfLiberty

Watch the National Prayer Service online with Windows Media.
http://video1.cathedral.org/wmv/Inaugural2009.wmv

Online video courtesy of the Washington National Cathedral at
http://www.nationalcathedral.org

Diplomacy through Rick Warren...?

sabina2001 — Sat, 20 Dec 2008 12:48:13 EST

Obama is a smart man.

Obama is a proponent of diplomacy over warfare.

Rick Warren is not someone I think should have any influence in this country, and his theology is most definitely at war with progressive, liberal views and morals. But liberal progressives have difficulty not viewing evangelicals as their enemy as well. (I say this from experience as a progressive myeslf.)

Solution? Let's leverage Rick Warren's sermon for our own ends. (By "our", I mean Obama's base.) Let's start a dialogue with him and the Evangelical, Christianity-first, right-wing communities in this country on our turf. The inaugruation is our achievement, but it's also our opportunity to set this country on a new path of inclusion.

So start offering constructive criticism for how Obama can leverage Warren's acceptance of his invitation. Tell him what Warren should say; tell him what Warren canNOT say. (With all due respect.)

Because, let's get real, there's no way Obama can disinvite Rick Warren and not declare war on -- or have war declared on his administration by -- Warren's audience.

Click the title or the "click here" to read my suggestions...

It Matters What We Believe

Rev. John Crestwell — Sun, 07 Dec 2008 20:53:08 EST

IT MATTERS WHAT WE BELIEVE

Rev. John T. Crestwell Jr.

December 6, 2008

It truly matters what we believe. Some of the things we hold construct, while others tear-down. Some of the things we accept allow us to be hopeful, while many other things we believe cause fear and doubt. Some of the things we believe help us to do more than we ever thought we could or to bear a heavy burden, while other beliefs castrate our sense of dignity and purpose, or push us to give up way to soon on something we want. Yes, it matters what we believe…

Beyond Black & White

Rev. John Crestwell — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 23:29:30 EST

BEYOND BLACK & WHITE

Rev. John T. Crestwell, Jr.

http://dmuuc.libsyn.com

This reading I’m going to share are the words of Frances Ellen Watkins Harper— Unitarian, abolitionist, feminist, poet, author—just an amazing African American women in the 1800s. This reading is from her speech titled, “We Are All Bound up Together,” given before the Eleventh National Women’s Rights Convention held in New York in 1866.

“We are all bound up together in one great bundle of humanity, and society cannot trample on the weakest and feeblest of its members without receiving the curse in its own soul. You tried that in the case of the Negro. You pressed him down for two centuries; and in so doing you crippled the moral strength and paralyzed the spiritual energies of the white men of the country. When the hands of the black were fettered, white men were deprived of the liberty of speech and the freedom of the press. Society cannot afford to neglect the enlightenment of any class of its members. At the South, the legislation of the country was in behalf of the rich slaveholders, while the poor white man was neglected. What is the consequence today? From that very class of neglected poor white men, comes the man who stands today with his hand upon the helm of the nation. He fails to catch the watchword of the hour, and throws himself, the incarnation of meanness, across the pathway of the nation. My objection to [President] Andrew Johnson is not that he has been a poor white man; my objection is that he keeps “poor WHITS” all the way through. That is the trouble with him… The grand and glorious revolution which has commenced, will fail to reach its climax of success, until throughout the length and breadth of the American Republic, the nation shall be so color-blind, as to know no man by the color of his skin or the curl of his hair. It will then have no privileged class, trampling upon and outraging the unprivileged classes, but will be then one great privileged nation, whose privilege will be to produce the loftiest manhood and womanhood that humanity can attain.

Reply to Lanny J. Davis,WSJ - RE: Wright

Oregon Artists 4 Obama '08 — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 23:47:05 EDT

Response to Lanny J. Davis (Wall Street Journal) (and any forthcoming articles) on Obama & Wright:

............................................................................................................................

Fuggeddaboudit!

The only reason a person would keep trying to breathe life into this dead Wright story would be to swiftboat Barack Obama. It's not even subtle. Let's break this down - for the 1 trillionth time ...

1. Rev. Wright, for over 30 years, has been part of a church that does lots of community work - that's how Obama met him and became a member.

2. Wright's worst sermons were condensed into sound bites that give a false representation of the man and his work. Sure - he's a scarred Black man in America - we have lots of them - so what? A few rants of a "crazy uncle" does not deserve all this concern and media attention.

3. Obama is HIS OWN MAN. He can be in the midst of a city/country of angry people and not be thrown off center. Obama has been on an open-ended learning curve with humans all his life ... he watches, listens, learns ... about the human condition, how it affects communities, and how it can be helped. Pay attention to the important things!

4. Wright was on the eve of retirement - no need to make a fuss.

5. If we must be accountable for the rants & ravings of our associates, we all have some explaining to do! If we close our ears to all sides of the human condition, we choose to be ignorant, fearful and detrimental to ourselves & our fellow man. We are not part of the solution; we are the problem! As Pogo says, "We have found the enemy and he is US!"

Finally! The RIGHT Wright Answer We’ve Been Waiting For From The AP!!!

Wayne — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 18:53:01 EDT

Here’s the link and the article. Spread it far. Spread it wide. Spread it fast!!!

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5hYL_ICCVB3g8UAtMxocStkw0uwOgD8VQEMF80

Letter to the Editor: Let's have the Wright conversation

Wayne — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 17:56:54 EDT

Let's face it: there's way too much flaming that goes on in internet forums and in local newspapers over Reverend Wright's sermons.

It generates a lot of heat, but no light.

So how about if we back up a little and try to do what Barack has asked us to do: sit down and have a quiet conversation and try to understand one another?

Here is a letter...

IF WE ALLOW OUR BEST TO BE DRAGGED THROUGH THE MUD . . .

Eric from Covina, CA — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 22:43:52 EDT

BENEATH THE SPIN • ERIC L. WATTREE
IF WE ALLOW OUR BEST TO BE DRAGGED THROUGH THE MUD
THE AVERAGE AMERICAN DOESN’T HAVE A CHANCE

Along with the ability to inspire, a president should have the intelligence to see the big picture, the maturity to handle power, and the class to ensure that his or her own personal needs remain secondary to that of the people. This election process has given us an excellent opportunity to assess those qualities in both candidates, and while Hillary Clinton has demonstrated that she is an exceptionally intelligent woman, she’s also demonstrated that she leaves much to be desired in the area of maturity and class. If we’ve learned nothing else about Hillary during these primaries, we’ve learned that nothing is more important to her than becoming President of the United States–not the nation, not the people, and certainly not the Democratic Party. Hillary has shown that she is more than willing to throw the entire Democratic Party under the bus–along with the Senate, Congress, and the Supreme Court--if it means she’ll end up sitting in the Oval Office.

Hillary’s behavior has been so radically single-minded during these primaries that it sounds like I’m indulging in hyperbole, but the facts will bear me out. Essentially, Senator Obama has won the primaries–he’s won more states, he’s won the popular vote, and he has an insurmountable lead in pledged delegates. If Hillary won all of the remaining primaries, she’d still fall short of Obama’s lead. Hillary knows that quite well, and she also knows that the longer she slings mud at Obama, the greater the chances the Democratic Party, along with many of its elected officials, will go down in defeat. So the classy thing for her to do would be to swallow her pride and encourage her supporters to get behind Senator Obama’s candidacy with all of the enthusiasm that they’ve brought to her campaign. But instead, she’s endorsed the Republican candidate as more qualified to be president than Obama, and she continues to sling mud in the vain hope that she can hurt Obama so badly that his candidacy will lose all viability. She’s calculated that if she hurts Obama badly enough, even if the party doesn’t nominate her by default, Obama will lose the general election. That way, since there won’t be a Democratic incumbent in the race, she’ll still be young enough to run in 2012.

That’s not only a cynically self-centered agenda, but it’s exactly the kind of selfish immaturity that we currently have running the country with George Bush–and it’s also the kind of politics that we’re so desperately trying to get away from. In addition to that, her Bosnian chronicle demonstrates that she’s willing to lie to the American people without cause or provocation. Is that the kind of person we want heading the Democratic Party? And after already being embarrassed by first, her husband, then Bush, is that the kind of flawed character that we want representing America before the world?

Full Context of Rev. Wright's post-9/11 Sermon on Anderson Cooper 360° Blog

Cindy in Salt Lake — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 11:05:56 EDT

Go here to read an article on the full context of Rev. Wright's sermon given on September 16, 2001. Below is an excerpt. And go here to watch the entire sermon.

As this whole sordid episode regarding the sermons of the Rev. Jeremiah Wright has played out over the last week, I wanted to understand what he ACTUALLY said in this speech. I’ve been saying all week on CNN that context is important, and I just wanted to know what the heck is going on.
I have now actually listened to the sermon Rev. Wright gave after September 11 titled, “The Day of Jerusalem’s Fall.” It was delivered on Sept. 16, 2001.
One of the most controversial statements in this sermon was when he mentioned “chickens coming home to roost.” He was actually quoting Edward Peck, former U.S. Ambassador to Iraq and deputy director of President Reagan’s terrorism task force, who was speaking on FOX News. That’s what he told the congregation.
He was quoting Peck as saying that America’s foreign policy has put the nation in peril...

JEREMIAH AND AMERICA'S BLIND SPOT

Eric from Covina, CA — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 01:17:34 EDT

BENEATH THE SPIN • ERIC L. WATTREE
JEREMIAH AND AMERICA’S BLIND SPOT

The American media has become absolutely fixated on Rev. Jeremiah Wright. How could he say what he did bout America? Why didn’t Senator Obama storm out of the church in protest? And how can Barack Obama be the man he claims to be and embrace such a man? These are all questions that might have also been asked of another man and his supporters over two thousand years ago, and just as then, the answer is short and sweet–because the man speaks the truth.

The controversy over Rev. Wright’s sermon says much more about America’s blind spot than it does about either Rev. Wright, or Sen. Obama. Because while the words were indeed ugly, the truth therein was as pure as virgin snow. Thus, the problem is not with Rev. Wright or Sen. Obama, the problem is with America’s inability to handle the truth, and as long as that continues to be the case, America is doomed to be led by demagogues whose claim on leadership will be based on lies, and the very worst in an otherwise great nation.

links on Trinity UCC

frstan — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 13:54:01 EDT

Fact Check: Barack Obama's Church

Link

UCC President Rev. John Thomas
Link

Pastor Gaye of Trinity UCC, St. Pete., FL - Re: Rev. Wright
Link

WE ARE TRINITY
Link

Fact Check: Reverend Otis Moss on Obama's Faith
Link

World Wide AIDS Day at TUCC
Link

Jeremiah Wright's Remarks about Hillary ...
Link

Church and State - The Litmus Test

Jim — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 15:38:07 EDT

by Dr. Jim March16, 2008

There has been a firestorm of controversy regarding Barack Obama's pastor. Old videos of some of his sermons began circulating around the internet recently. It is still unclear who pushed these to the attention of the main stream media, but there they were. Cut and edited to show fiery speeches condemning "white" America from the viewpoint of an aging Black minister, who had come of age during the middle twentieth century's civil rights movements. Barack Obama quickly realized how potentially damaging these snips of sermons would be in the eyes and ears of those many Americans who survive on sound bites alone and took to the blogs and TV news shows to distance himself from the more inflammatory remarks and do some educating and teaching of his own. Time will tell just how "ready" America is for substance, not sound bites, for integrity not inflammation, for the future, not the past.

My own feelings reflect my distaste for the melding of church and state that has increasingly dominated politics since the 1980s. Some of this was unintentional. I recall being very uncomfortable with Jimmy Carter's frequent mention of "Jesus". It was the first time in my life that this was evoked so much on national TV and from the White House. But we gave him a pass because we felt, "okay, here's a decent guy from the south, a baptist, and he's sincere". Well, the laws of unintended consequences were at work and before long everyone was invoking "Jesus" and constructing "Jesus" litmus tests for our elected officials and that line separating Church and State was blurred.

The short answer for the current dust up should be a reminder to all decent Americans that the "state" is for the workings of government for ALL people, white, black, pink or yellow, regardless of religion or DNA of great-grandparents. We seem to have forgotten that. Instead we are caught up in a silly, yet now consequential, argument about whether a politician should distance, disavow, dissociate, denounce, reject, repudiate ad nauseum their association with various supporters based on their supporters religious views. If you can step back even a foot from the debate you see how silly and dangerous it is.

Let me give you some examples. Remember this:
"You shall not defraud your neighbor. You shall not commit robbery. the wages of a laborer shall not remain with you until morning. You shall not insult the deaf, or place a stumbling block before the blind."

Do we like these sentiments? Of course. Do we reject or repudiate them? Of course not. This is a quote from Leviticus, Chapter 19. How about this:

"If a man seduces a virgin for whom the bride price has not been paid, and lies with her, he must make her his wife by payment of a bride price. If her father refuses to give her to him, he must still weigh out silver in accordance with the bride price for virgins."

Do we all agree wit this one? If not, do we renounce and reject those who do agree with this? Or those who have read this aloud on Saturday if you are Jewish or Sunday if you are Christian? That quote is from Exodus, Chapter 22.

Finally, what about this one: In Numbers, Chapter 21, Moses and his troops have just sacked and pillaged Midian, on their way to the promised land. They killed the kings and all their sons. The burned all the surrounding towns and brought back captives. Here's line 14: "Moses became angry with the commanders of the army, the officers who had come back from the military campaign." He yells at the officers for sparing the women and some of the men, so in line 17 he says, "Now, slay every male among the children, and slay also every woman who has known a man carnally. But spare every young woman who has not had carnal relations with a man."

So, now how do we feel about the Bible? Or those who read it? Or those who use it to "guide their lives". This is from the book that Pat Robertson holds dear. And reverend Hagee (who supports McCain). That our next President will place his or her hand on and swear to uphold the laws of the USA. The Bible. Do you reject and repudiate it? Do you see how silly this litmus test and back and forth bickering is?

But here's the bigger problem. The upcoming election has the promise to deliver this nation back to the critical theme of separation of Church and State. For too long our politicians and we, the people, have pandered to a religious right that is, well, wrong. I'm a Jew. I light candles on Friday night and we say a blessing over bread and wine. But Jesus, there is some stuff in the Bible that gives me the creeps. Does it make me a bad Jew to feel that way? No. That is for me to reflect on, in the privacy of my own head. It has NO place in the politics of my country. It is time for good citizens to stand up again, for the sake of the country and push religion to the background, not the foreground of our political debate.

The Sermon

thescoopenator — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 09:35:09 EDT

Here is the 12 minute sermon with some of those "controversial" comments by Jeremiah Wright in full context.

http://digg.com/2008_us_elections/Lo_behold_Reverend_Jeremiah_Wright_in_context

Letter to NY Times From Rev. Wright/Trinity UCC

James Andre — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 00:52:02 EDT

I received this email written by Rev. Wright (unverified):

March 11, 2007 Jodi Kantor The New York Times 9 West 43rd Street New York , New York 10036-3959

Dear Jodi:

Thank you for engaging in one of the biggest misrepresentations of the truth I have ever seen in sixty-five years (link). You sat and shared with me for two hours. You told me you were doing a "Spiritual Biography" of Senator Barack Obama. For two hours, I shared with you how I thought he was the most principled individual in public service that I have ever met.

For two hours, I talked with you about how idealistic he was. For two hours I shared with you what a genuine human being he was. I told you how incredible he was as a man who was an African American in public service, and as a man who refused to announce his candidacy for President until Carol Moseley Braun indicated one way or the other whether or not she was going to run. I told you what a dreamer he was. I told you how idealistic he was. We talked about how refreshing it would be for someone who knew about Islam to be in the Oval Office. Your own question to me was, Didn't I think it would be incredible to have somebody in the Oval Office who not only knew about Muslims, but had living and breathing Muslims in his own family?

I told you how important it would be to have a man who not only knew the difference between Shiites and Sunnis prior to 9/11/01 in the Oval Office, but also how important it would be to have a man who knew what Sufism was; a man who understood that there were different branches of Judaism; a man who knew the difference between Hasidic Jews, Orthodox Jews, Conservative Jews and Reformed Jews; a nd a man who was a devout Christian, but who did not prejudge others because they believed something other than what he believed.

I talked about how rare it was to meet a man whose Christianity was not just "in word only."

I talked about Barack being a person who lived his faith and did not argue his faith. I talked about Barack as a person who did not draw doctrinal lines in the sand nor consign other people to hell if they did not believe what he believed.

Out of a two-hour conversation with you about Barack's spiritual journey and my protesting to you that I had not shaped him nor formed him, that I had not mentored him or made him the man he was, even though I would love to take that credit, you did not print any of that. When I told you, using one of your own Jewish stories from the Hebrew Bible as to how God asked Moses, "What is that in your hand?," that Barack was like that when I met him. Barack had it "in his hand." Barack had in his grasp a uniqueness in terms of his spiritual development that one is hard put to find in the 21st century, and you did not print that.

As I was just starting to say a moment ago, Jodi, out of two hours of conversation I spent approximately five to seven minutes on...

... Barack's taking advice from one of his trusted campaign people and deeming it unwise to make me the media spotlight on the day of his announcing his candidacy for the Presidency and what do you print?

You and your editor proceeded to present to the general public a snippet, a printed "sound byte" and a titillating and tantalizing article about his disinviting me to the Invocation on the day of his announcing his candidacy.

I have never been exposed to that kind of duplicitous behavior before, and I want to write you publicly to let you know that I do not approve of it and will not be party to any further smeari ng of the name, the reputation, the integrity or the character of perhaps this nation's first (and maybe even only) honest candidate offering himself for public service as the person to occupy the Oval Office.

Your editor is a sensationalist. For you to even mention that makes me doubt your credibility, and I am looking forward to see how you are going to butcher what else I had to say concerning Senator Obama's "Spiritual Biography."

Our Conference Minister, the Reverend Jane Fisler Hoffman, a white woman who belongs to a Black church that Hannity of "Hannity and Colmes" is trying to trash, set the record straight for you in terms of who I am and in terms of who we are as the church to which Barack has belonged for over twenty years.

The president of our denomination, the Reverend John Thomas, has offered to try to help you clarify in your confused head what Trinity Church is even though you spent the entire w eekend with us setting me up to interview me for what turned out to be a smear of the Senator; and yet The New York Times continues to roll on making the truth what it wants to be the truth.

I do not remember reading in your article that Barack had apologized for listening to that bad information and bad advice. Did I miss it? Or did your editor cut it out? Either way, you do not have to worry about hearing anything else from me for you to edit or "spin" because you are more interested in journalism than in truth.

Forgive me for having a momentary lapse. I forgot that The New York Times was leading the bandwagon in trumpeting why it is we should have gone into an illegal war. The New York Times became George Bush and the Republican Party's national "blog." The New York Times played a role in the outing of Valerie Plame. I do not know why I thought The New York Times had actually repented and was going to exhibit a diff erent kind of behavior. Maybe it was my faith in the Jewish Holy Day of Roshashana. Maybe it was my being caught up in the euphoria of the Season of Lent; but whatever it is or was, I was sadly mistaken. There is no repentance on the part of The New York Times. There is no integrity when it comes to The Times. You should do well with that paper, Jodi. You looked me straight in my face and told me a lie!

Sincerely and respectfully yours, Reverend Jeremiah A. Wright, Jr. , Senior Pastor Trinity United Church of Christ

The full text of Jeremiah Wright's "Audacity To Hope" sermon in 1990:

Yes We Did!...OBAMA/BIDEN '08 — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 20:25:57 EDT

The full text of Jeremiah Wright's "Audacity To Hope" sermon in 1990:

http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/2008/03/for-the-record.html

Several years ago while I was in Richmond, the Lord allowed me to be in that city during the week of the annual convocation at Virginia Union University School of Theology. There I heard the preaching and teaching of Reverend Frederick G. Sampson of Detroit, Michigan. In one of his lectures, Dr. Sampson spoke of a painting I remembered studying in humanities courses back in the late '50s. In Dr. Sampson's powerful description of the picture, he spoke of it being a study in contradictions, because the title and the details on the canvas seem to be in direct opposition.

The painting's title is "Hope." It shows a woman sitting on top of the world, playing a harp. What more enviable position could one ever hope to achieve than being on top of the world with everyone dancing to your music?

As you look closer, the illusion of power gives way to the reality of pain. The world on which this woman sits, our world, is torn by war, destroyed by hate, decimated by despair, and devastated by distrust. The world on which she sits seems on the brink of destruction. Famine ravages millions of inhabitants in one hemisphere, while feasting and gluttony are enjoyed by inhabitants of another hemisphere. This world is a ticking time bomb, with apartheid in one hemisphere and apathy in the other. Scientists tell us there are enough nuclear warheads to wipe out all forms of life except cockroaches. That is the world on which the woman sits in Watt's painting.

Our world cares more about bombs for the enemy than about bread for the hungry. This world is still more concerned about the color of skin than it is about the content of character—a world more finicky about what's on the outside of your head than about the quality of your education or what's inside your head. That is the world on which this woman sits.

You and I think of being on top of the world as being in heaven. When you look at the woman in Watt's painting, you discover this woman is in hell. She is wearing rags. Her tattered clothes look as if the woman herself has come through Hiroshima or Nagasaki. Her head is bandaged, and blood seeps through the bandages. Scars and cuts are visible on her face, her arms, and her legs.

I. Illusion of Power vs. Reality of Pain

A closer look reveals all the harp strings but one are broken or ripped out. Even the instrument has been damaged by what she has been through, and she is the classic example of quiet despair. Yet the artist dares to entitle the painting Hope. The illusion of power—sitting on top of the world—gives way to the reality of pain.

And isn't it that way with many of us? We give the illusion of being in an enviable position on top of the world. Look closer, and our lives reveal the reality of pain too deep for the tongue to tell. For the woman in the painting, what looks like being in heaven is actually an existence in a quiet hell.

I've been a pastor for seventeen years. I've seen too many of these cases not to know what I'm talking about. I've seen married couples where the husband has a girlfriend in addition to his wife. It's something nobody talks about. The wife smiles and pretends not to hear the whispers and the gossip. She has the legal papers but knows he would rather try to buy Fort Knox than divorce her. That's a living hell.

I've seen married couples where the wife had discovered that somebody else cares for her as a person and not just as cook, maid jitney service, and call girl all wrapped into one. But there's the scandal: What would folks say? What about the children? That's a living hell.

I've seen divorcees whose dreams have been blown to bits, families broken up beyond repair, and lives somehow slipping through their fingers. They've lost control. That's a living hell.

I've seen college students who give the illusion of being on top of the world—designer clothes, all the sex that they want, all the cocaine or marijuana or drugs, all the trappings of having it all together on the outside—but empty and shallow and hurting and lonely and afraid on the inside. Many times what looks good on the outside—the illusion of being in power, of sitting on top of the world—with a closer look is actually existence in a quiet hell.

That is exactly where Hannah is in 1 Samuel 1 :1-18. Hannah is top dog in this three-way relationship between herself, Elkanah, and Peninnah. Her husband loves Hannah more than he loves his other wife and their children. Elkanah tells Hannah he loves her. A lot of husbands don't do that. He shows Hannah that he loves her, and many husbands never get around to doing that. In fact, it is his attention and devotion to Hannah that causes Peninnah to be so angry and to stay on Hannah's case constantly. Jealous! Jealousy will get hold of you, and you can't let it go because it won't let you go. Peninnah stayed on Hannah, like we say, "as white on rice." She constantly picked at Hannah, making her cry, taking her appetite away.

At first glance Hannah's position seems enviable. She had all the rights and none of the responsibilities—no diapers to change, no beds to sit beside at night, no noses to wipe, nothing else to wipe either, no babies draining you of your milk and demanding feeding. Hannah was top dog. No baby portions to fix at meal times. Her man loved her; everybody knew he loved her. He loved her more than anything or anybody. That's why Peninnah hated her so much.

Now, except for the second-wife bit, which was legal back then, Hannah was sitting on top of the world, until you look closer. When you look closer, what looked like being in heaven was actually existing in a quiet hell.

Hannah had the pain of a bitter woman to contend with, for verse 7 says that nonstop, Peninnah stayed with her. Hannah suffered the pain of living with a bitter woman. And she suffered another pain—the pain of a barren womb. You will remember the story of the widow in 2 Kings 4 who had no child. The story of a woman with no children was a story of deep pathos and despair in biblical days.

Do you remember the story of Sarah and what she did in Genesis 16 because of her barren womb—before the three heavenly visitors stopped by their tent? Do you remember the story of Elizabeth and her husband in Luke I? Back in Bible days, the story of a woman with a barren womb was a story of deep pathos. And Hannah was afflicted with the pain of a bitter woman on the one hand and the pain of a barren womb on the other.

Hannah's world was flawed, flaky. Her garments of respectability were tattered and torn, and her heart was bruised and bleeding from the constant attacks of a jealous woman. The scars and scratches on her psyche are almost visible as you look at this passage, where she cries, refusing to eat anything. Just like the woman in Watt's painting, what looks like being in heaven is actually existence in a quiet hell.

Now I want to share briefly with you about Hannah—the lady and the Lord. While I do so, I want you to be thinking about where you live and your own particular pain predicament. Think about it for a moment.

Dr. Sampson said he wanted to quarrel with the artist for having the gall to name that painting Hope when all he could see in the picture was hell—a quiet desperation. But then Dr. Sampson said he noticed that he had been looking only at the horizontal dimensions and relationships and how this woman was hooked up with that world on which she sat. He had failed to take into account her vertical relationships. He had not looked above her head. And when he looked over her head, he found some small notes of music moving joyfully and playfully toward heaven.
II. The Audacity to Hope

Then, Dr. Sampson began to understand why the artist titled the painting "Hope." In spite of being in a world torn by war, in spite of being on a world destroyed by hate and decimated by distrust, in spite of being on a world where famine and greed are uneasy bed partners, in spite of being on a world where apartheid and apathy feed the fires of racism and hatred, in spite of being on a world where nuclear nightmare draws closer with each second, in spite of being on a ticking time bomb, with her clothes in rags, her body scarred and bruised and bleeding, her harp all but destroyed and with only one string left, she had the audacity to make music and praise God. The vertical dimension balanced out what was going on in the horizontal dimension.

And that is what the audacity to hope will do for you. The apostle Paul said the same thing. "You have troubles? Glory in your trouble. We glory in tribulation." That's the horizontal dimension. We glory in tribulation because, he says, "Tribulation works patience. And patience works experience. And experience works hope. (That's the vertical dimension.) And hope makes us not ashamed." The vertical dimension balances out what is going on in the horizontal dimension. That is the real story here in the first chapter of 1 Samuel. Not the condition of Hannah's body, but the condition of Hannah's soul—her vertical dimension. She had the audacity to keep on hoping and praying when there was no visible sign on the horizontal level that what she was praying for, hoping for, and waiting for would ever be answered in the affirmative.

What Hannah wanted most out of life had been denied to her. Think about that. Yet in spite of that, she kept on hoping. The gloating of Peninnah did not make her bitter. She kept on hoping. When the family made its pilgrimage to the sanctuary at Shiloh, she renewed her petition there, pouring out her heart to God. She may have been barren, but that's a horizontal dimension. She was fertile in her spirit, her vertical dimension. She prayed and she prayed and she prayed and she kept on praying year after year. With no answer, she kept on praying. She prayed so fervently in this passage that Eli thought she had to be drunk. There was no visible sign on the horizontal level to indicate to Hannah that her praying would ever be answered. Yet, she kept on praying.

And Paul said something about that, too. No visible sign? He says, "Hope is what saves us, for we are saved by hope. But hope that is seen is not hope. For what a man sees, why does he have hope for it? But if we hope for that which we see not (no visible sign), then do we with patience wait for it."

That's almost an echo of what the prophet Isaiah said: "They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength." The vertical dimension balances out what is going on in the horizontal dimension.

There may not be any visible sign of a change in your individual situation, whatever your private hell is. But that's just the horizontal level. Keep the vertical level intact, like Hannah. You may, like the African slaves, be able to sing, "Over my head I hear music in the air. Over my head I hear music in the air. Over my head I hear music in the air. There must be a God somewhere."

Keep the vertical dimension intact like Hannah. Have the audacity to hope for that child of yours. Have the audacity to hope for that home of yours. Have the audacity to hope for that church of yours. Whatever it is you've been praying for, keep on praying, and you may find, like my grandmother sings, "There's a bright side somewhere; there is a bright side somewhere. Don't you rest until you find it, for there is a bright side somewhere."
III. Persistence of Hope

The real lesson Hannah gives us from this chapter—the most important word God would have us hear—is how to hope when the love of God is not plainly evident. It's easy to hope when there are evidences all around of how good God is. But to have the audacity to hope when that love is not evident—you don't know where that somewhere is that my grandmother sang about, or if there will ever be that brighter day—that is a true test of a Hannah-type faith. To take the one string you have left and to have the audacity to hope—make music and praise God on and with whatever it is you've got left, even though you can't see what God is going to do—that's the real word God will have us hear from this passage and from Watt's painting.

There's a true-life illustration that demonstrates the principles portrayed so powerfully in this periscope. And I close with it. My mom and my dad used to sing a song that I've not been able to find in any of the published hymnals. It's an old song out of the black religious tradition called "Thank you, Jesus." It's a very simple song. Some of you have heard it. It's simply goes, "Thank you Jesus. I thank you Jesus. I thank you Jesus. I thank you Lord." To me they always sang that song at the strangest times—when the money got low, or when the food was running out. When I was getting in trouble, they would start singing that song. And I never understood it, because as a child it seemed to me they were thanking God that we didn't have any money, or thanking God that we had no food, or thanking God that I was making a fool out of myself as a kid.
Conclusion: Hope is What Saves Us

But I was only looking at the horizontal level. I did not understand nor could I see back then the vertical hookup that my mother and my father had. I did not know then that they were thanking him in advance for all they dared to hope he would do one day to their son, in their son, and through their son. That's why they prayed. That's why they hoped. That's why they kept on praying with no visible sign on the horizon. And I thank God I had praying parents, because now some thirty-five years later, when I look at what God has done in my life, I understand clearly why Hannah had the audacity to hope. Why my parents had the audacity to hope.

And that's why I say to you, hope is what saves us. Keep on hoping; keep on praying. God does hear and answer prayer.

Jeremiah Wrights's "Audacity of Hope" Sermon

Chip Roberson in Sonoma, CA — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 19:42:29 EDT

To give some counterbalance to the alarming statements of Reverend Wright which are causing the current tempest, Andrew Sullivan has posted the full text of Rev. Wright's "Audacity of Hope" sermon from 1990. If a man can be condemned for a few comments inside a sermon, what are we to do when one offers a whole sermon in defense of that condemnation?

Full text of Jeremiah Wright's "Audacity To Hope" sermon in 1990

Soldierette!! (CENSORED) — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 19:17:38 EDT

The full text of Jeremiah Wright's "Audacity To Hope" sermon in 1990:

Several years ago while I was in Richmond, the Lord allowed me to be in that city during the week of the annual convocation at Virginia Union University School of Theology. There I heard the preaching and teaching of Reverend Frederick G. Sampson of Detroit, Michigan. In one of his lectures, Dr. Sampson spoke of a painting I remembered studying in humanities courses back in the late '50s. In Dr. Sampson's powerful description of the picture, he spoke of it being a study in contradictions, because the title and the details on the canvas seem to be in direct opposition.
The painting's title is "Hope." It shows a woman sitting on top of the world, playing a harp. What more enviable position could one ever hope to achieve than being on top of the world with everyone dancing to your music?

As you look closer, the illusion of power gives way to the reality of pain. The world on which this woman sits, our world, is torn by war, destroyed by hate, decimated by despair, and devastated by distrust. The world on which she sits seems on the brink of destruction. Famine ravages millions of inhabitants in one hemisphere, while feasting and gluttony are enjoyed by inhabitants of another hemisphere. This world is a ticking time bomb, with apartheid in one hemisphere and apathy in the other. Scientists tell us there are enough nuclear warheads to wipe out all forms of life except cockroaches. That is the world on which the woman sits in Watt's painting.
Our world cares more about bombs for the enemy than about bread for the hungry. This world is still more concerned about the color of skin than it is about the content of character—a world more finicky about what's on the outside of your head than about the quality of your education or what's inside your head. That is the world on which this woman sits.
You and I think of being on top of the world as being in heaven. When you look at the woman in Watt's painting, you discover this woman is in hell. She is wearing rags. Her tattered clothes look as if the woman herself has come through Hiroshima or Nagasaki. Her head is bandaged, and blood seeps through the bandages. Scars and cuts are visible on her face, her arms, and her legs.
I. Illusion of Power vs. Reality of Pain
A closer look reveals all the harp strings but one are broken or ripped out. Even the instrument has been damaged by what she has been through, and she is the classic example of quiet despair. Yet the artist dares to entitle the painting Hope. The illusion of power—sitting on top of the world—gives way to the reality of pain.
And isn't it that way with many of us? We give the illusion of being in an enviable position on top of the world. Look closer, and our lives reveal the reality of pain too deep for the tongue to tell. For the woman in the painting, what looks like being in heaven is actually an existence in a quiet hell.
I've been a pastor for seventeen years. I've seen too many of these cases not to know what I'm talking about. I've seen married couples where the husband has a girlfriend in addition to his wife. It's something nobody talks about. The wife smiles and pretends not to hear the whispers and the gossip. She has the legal papers but knows he would rather try to buy Fort Knox than divorce her. That's a living hell.
I've seen married couples where the wife had discovered that somebody else cares for her as a person and not just as cook, maid jitney service, and call girl all wrapped into one. But there's the scandal: What would folks say? What about the children? That's a living hell.
I've seen divorcees whose dreams have been blown to bits, families broken up beyond repair, and lives somehow slipping through their fingers. They've lost control. That's a living hell.
I've seen college students who give the illusion of being on top of the world—designer clothes, all the sex that they want, all the cocaine or marijuana or drugs, all the trappings of having it all together on the outside—but empty and shallow and hurting and lonely and afraid on the inside. Many times what looks good on the outside—the illusion of being in power, of sitting on top of the world—with a closer look is actually existence in a quiet hell.
That is exactly where Hannah is in 1 Samuel 1 :1-18. Hannah is top dog in this three-way relationship between herself, Elkanah, and Peninnah. Her husband loves Hannah more than he loves his other wife and their children. Elkanah tells Hannah he loves her. A lot of husbands don't do that. He shows Hannah that he loves her, and many husbands never get around to doing that. In fact, it is his attention and devotion to Hannah that causes Peninnah to be so angry and to stay on Hannah's case constantly. Jealous! Jealousy will get hold of you, and you can't let it go because it won't let you go. Peninnah stayed on Hannah, like we say, "as white on rice." She constantly picked at Hannah, making her cry, taking her appetite away.
At first glance Hannah's position seems enviable. She had all the rights and none of the responsibilities—no diapers to change, no beds to sit beside at night, no noses to wipe, nothing else to wipe either, no babies draining you of your milk and demanding feeding. Hannah was top dog. No baby portions to fix at meal times. Her man loved her; everybody knew he loved her. He loved her more than anything or anybody. That's why Peninnah hated her so much.
Now, except for the second-wife bit, which was legal back then, Hannah was sitting on top of the world, until you look closer. When you look closer, what looked like being in heaven was actually existing in a quiet hell.
Hannah had the pain of a bitter woman to contend with, for verse 7 says that nonstop, Peninnah stayed with her. Hannah suffered the pain of living with a bitter woman. And she suffered another pain—the pain of a barren womb. You will remember the story of the widow in 2 Kings 4 who had no child. The story of a woman with no children was a story of deep pathos and despair in biblical days.
Do you remember the story of Sarah and what she did in Genesis 16 because of her barren womb—before the three heavenly visitors stopped by their tent? Do you remember the story of Elizabeth and her husband in Luke I? Back in Bible days, the story of a woman with a barren womb was a story of deep pathos. And Hannah was afflicted with the pain of a bitter woman on the one hand and the pain of a barren womb on the other.
Hannah's world was flawed, flaky. Her garments of respectability were tattered and torn, and her heart was bruised and bleeding from the constant attacks of a jealous woman. The scars and scratches on her psyche are almost visible as you look at this passage, where she cries, refusing to eat anything. Just like the woman in Watt's painting, what looks like being in heaven is actually existence in a quiet hell.
Now I want to share briefly with you about Hannah—the lady and the Lord. While I do so, I want you to be thinking about where you live and your own particular pain predicament. Think about it for a moment.
Dr. Sampson said he wanted to quarrel with the artist for having the gall to name that painting Hope when all he could see in the picture was hell—a quiet desperation. But then Dr. Sampson said he noticed that he had been looking only at the horizontal dimensions and relationships and how this woman was hooked up with that world on which she sat. He had failed to take into account her vertical relationships. He had not looked above her head. And when he looked over her head, he found some small notes of music moving joyfully and playfully toward heaven.
II. The Audacity to Hope
Then, Dr. Sampson began to understand why the artist titled the painting "Hope." In spite of being in a world torn by war, in spite of being on a world destroyed by hate and decimated by distrust, in spite of being on a world where famine and greed are uneasy bed partners, in spite of being on a world where apartheid and apathy feed the fires of racism and hatred, in spite of being on a world where nuclear nightmare draws closer with each second, in spite of being on a ticking time bomb, with her clothes in rags, her body scarred and bruised and bleeding, her harp all but destroyed and with only one string left, she had the audacity to make music and praise God. The vertical dimension balanced out what was going on in the horizontal dimension.
And that is what the audacity to hope will do for you. The apostle Paul said the same thing. "You have troubles? Glory in your trouble. We glory in tribulation." That's the horizontal dimension. We glory in tribulation because, he says, "Tribulation works patience. And patience works experience. And experience works hope. (That's the vertical dimension.) And hope makes us not ashamed." The vertical dimension balances out what is going on in the horizontal dimension. That is the real story here in the first chapter of 1 Samuel. Not the condition of Hannah's body, but the condition of Hannah's soul—her vertical dimension. She had the audacity to keep on hoping and praying when there was no visible sign on the horizontal level that what she was praying for, hoping for, and waiting for would ever be answered in the affirmative.
What Hannah wanted most out of life had been denied to her. Think about that. Yet in spite of that, she kept on hoping. The gloating of Peninnah did not make her bitter. She kept on hoping. When the family made its pilgrimage to the sanctuary at Shiloh, she renewed her petition there, pouring out her heart to God. She may have been barren, but that's a horizontal dimension. She was fertile in her spirit, her vertical dimension. She prayed and she prayed and she prayed and she kept on praying year after year. With no answer, she kept on praying. She prayed so fervently in this passage that Eli thought she had to be drunk. There was no visible sign on the horizontal level to indicate to Hannah that her praying would ever be answered. Yet, she kept on praying.
And Paul said something about that, too. No visible sign? He says, "Hope is what saves us, for we are saved by hope. But hope that is seen is not hope. For what a man sees, why does he have hope for it? But if we hope for that which we see not (no visible sign), then do we with patience wait for it."
That's almost an echo of what the prophet Isaiah said: "They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength." The vertical dimension balances out what is going on in the horizontal dimension.
There may not be any visible sign of a change in your individual situation, whatever your private hell is. But that's just the horizontal level. Keep the vertical level intact, like Hannah. You may, like the African slaves, be able to sing, "Over my head I hear music in the air. Over my head I hear music in the air. Over my head I hear music in the air. There must be a God somewhere."
Keep the vertical dimension intact like Hannah. Have the audacity to hope for that child of yours. Have the audacity to hope for that home of yours. Have the audacity to hope for that church of yours. Whatever it is you've been praying for, keep on praying, and you may find, like my grandmother sings, "There's a bright side somewhere; there is a bright side somewhere. Don't you rest until you find it, for there is a bright side somewhere."
III. Persistence of Hope
The real lesson Hannah gives us from this chapter—the most important word God would have us hear—is how to hope when the love of God is not plainly evident. It's easy to hope when there are evidences all around of how good God is. But to have the audacity to hope when that love is not evident—you don't know where that somewhere is that my grandmother sang about, or if there will ever be that brighter day—that is a true test of a Hannah-type faith. To take the one string you have left and to have the audacity to hope—make music and praise God on and with whatever it is you've got left, even though you can't see what God is going to do—that's the real word God will have us hear from this passage and from Watt's painting.
There's a true-life illustration that demonstrates the principles portrayed so powerfully in this periscope. And I close with it. My mom and my dad used to sing a song that I've not been able to find in any of the published hymnals. It's an old song out of the black religious tradition called "Thank you, Jesus." It's a very simple song. Some of you have heard it. It's simply goes, "Thank you Jesus. I thank you Jesus. I thank you Jesus. I thank you Lord." To me they always sang that song at the strangest times—when the money got low, or when the food was running out. When I was getting in trouble, they would start singing that song. And I never understood it, because as a child it seemed to me they were thanking God that we didn't have any money, or thanking God that we had no food, or thanking God that I was making a fool out of myself as a kid.
Conclusion: Hope is What Saves Us
But I was only looking at the horizontal level. I did not understand nor could I see back then the vertical hookup that my mother and my father had. I did not know then that they were thanking him in advance for all they dared to hope he would do one day to their son, in their son, and through their son. That's why they prayed. That's why they hoped. That's why they kept on praying with no visible sign on the horizon. And I thank God I had praying parents, because now some thirty-five years later, when I look at what God has done in my life, I understand clearly why Hannah had the audacity to hope. Why my parents had the audacity to hope.
And that's why I say to you, hope is what saves us. Keep on hoping; keep on praying. God does hear and answer prayer.

Grace Under Pressure

Elaine — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 00:32:51 EDT

I remember attending a christening for a close friend years ago at a black church. At one point, in the sermon the minister made a disparaging, racial remark that stuck in my craw. I know the friend whose child was being christened did not support that kind of thinking at all. I don't think there is a place for that kind of talk in the pulpit. And I'm not big on bringing politics into religion.

Let's face it, Rev. Wright's inflammatory sermon caused a problem for Obama's campaign. The harsh reality is that every president is vulnerable to perceived guilt-by-association with unsavory characters because every person contends with the same burden at one time or another. Fortunately, nobody cares about that uncle we don't discuss (you know the one) because we are private citizens.

Obama, however, exhibited impressive grace under pressure. He responded quickly and in an intelligent and dignified manner. I respect his thoughtfulness and the way he doesn't go for the shallow sound bite. Rev. Wright's comments raised serious questions and I applaud Obama for delivering serious answers.

While Wright's words provided a chance for opportunists to try to sully Obama's campaign and push their own agenda, I hope that there will be focus on the way Obama dealt with this situation. He addressed the issue like an adult, and more than that, like a leader.

Sunday Sermon

Mid America Mom — Sun, 30 Sep 2007 14:23:33 EDT

Last night I was one of many who were staying up watching the campaign tally of 350,000 and 500,000 on the home page! I threw in a last $5 thinking - Come On Tally!!! It was like a game show - Will they get it? When? Who gets us over the top and will they get profiled?

Is this sane?