STONES OF HOPE - REFLECTIONS ON THE MARCH ON WASHINGTON (1963-2013)

Rev. Dr. C. Anthony Hunt
August 2013

 

In just a few days on August 24, 2013, thousands of people from around the nation and world will gather in Washington, DC for the 50^th year anniversary and celebration of the historic March on Washington.  Deemed in 1963 as the March for Jobs and Freedom, the march came at the height of the American Civil Rights movement, as over 200,000 thousand persons gathered to call the nation to action as it regarded the rights of all people to opportunity, equality and justice. 

Among those who spoke at the Lincoln Memorial on that sunlit day in 1963 was the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.  King shared with the crowd, the nation and the world a compelling dream – a vision - of Beloved Community and a world where every “child would be judged not by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.”  He articulated a hope that America would heed the true meaning of its creed as found in the Declaration of Independence, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all (people) are created equal.” 

For the masses that will gather this year, this will be a time of remembering, celebrating, and hopefully renewing a commitment to King’s (and others’) dream of peace, justice and equality among us. 

Theologian Jurgen Moltmann articulated in his book Theology of Hope that “Hope alone is to be called ‘realistic’, because it alone takes seriously the possibilities with which all reality is fraught.  It does not take things as they happen to stand or to lie, but as progressing, moving things with possibilities of change.  Only as long as the world and the people in it are in a fragmented and experimental state which is not yet resolved, is there any sense in earthly hopes.”  

One of the things that King intimated in his 1963 speech was a hope that God would “hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope.”  The despair that he was alluding to then was capsulated in what he deemed to be the “triplets of evil” – racism, poverty (classism) and war (militarism).  In King’s estimation, these were the major categories of the social disease that afflicted America then, and thus there was the need for the struggle for Civil Rights, human rights, equal rights and the March on Washington, and a renewed call/commitment to action.

FAITH UNDER FIRE

(This is an abridged version of the sermon preached at Epworth Chapel, Baltimore on 8/11/13.)

 

Then King Nebuchadnezzar leaped to his feet in amazement and asked his advisers, “Weren’t there three men that we tied up and threw into the fire?”  They replied, “Certainly, Your Majesty.”  He said, “Look! I see four men walking around in the fire, unbound and unharmed, and the fourth looks like a son of the gods.”  (Daniel 3:24-25) 

It has been said that faith is most clearly evident in our lives when it has been tested.  This speaks to the very nature of faith.  As the writer of the Book of Hebrews so clearly articulated, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not (yet) seen.” 

There is a certain mystery imbedded in the whole matter of faith, in that we cannot see it, and yet it is at work in our lives if we are in relationship with God.

The testing of our faith can come in any manner of ways.  Serious illness, financial distress, relational problems, death – will, at some points, come into all of our lives.  These are but a few of the ways that our faith can and will be tested.  Often, if the truth is really told today, our faith in God can also be tested in moments of our disappointment with God as we might be praying and waiting on a blessing in our life that has been long deferred and appears to be denied, or we might be enduring suffering so long that we wonder why God - who created us, loves us and cares for us - would allow such things to happen in our lives. 

And it is also the case that we might find that our faith is tested in the light of our faithfulness to God.  In other words, sometimes it our very faithfulness, that somehow serves as an entrée for Satan to enter into our lives and to test us.

And so it is in Scripture that we find the story of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego.  These were three young men who were extremely faithful to God, and because of their faithfulness, they found themselves in the horns of a dilemma.

These young men were the cream of the crop, the pick of the litter, they were royalty.  They had the right stuff.  They had been trained in the most stringent ritualistic and dietary laws of their times.  They had been trained at the highest levels to become servants in King Nebuchenezzar’s court.

UBUNTU

 

UBUNTU is a life-changing concept.

 

(One of the members of Epworth Chapel, Baltimore posted this on Facebook, and I thought it was worth sharing)

 

An anthropologist proposed a game to the kids in an African tribe. He put a basket full of fruit near a tree and told the kids that who ever got there first won the sweet fruits. When he told them to run they all took each others hands and ...ran together, then sat together enjoying their treats. When he asked them why they had run like that as one could have had all the fruits for himself they said: ''UBUNTU, how can one of us be happy if all the other ones are sad?''

'UBUNTU' in the Xhosa culture means: "I am because we are"

COURAGE IN THE FACE OF CRISIS

 

 

(This is an abridged version of the sermon preached at Epworth Chapel, Baltimore on 8/4/13.)

 

“O Daniel, servant of the living God, who you have faithfully served, is your God able to deliver you from the lions?”   “My God sent his angel and shut the lions’ mouths so that they would not hurt me, because I was found blameless before him; and also before you.  O king, I have done no wrong.”  (Daniel 6:21-22)

 

Each and every one of us will face times when we are confronted by crisis in our life.  It has often been said that “if it’s not one thing it’s another.”  Crises will confront us at virtually every juncture of life, whether it’s in our homes or on our jobs, or in our neighborhoods.     

In the midst of crisis, psychologists have indicated that it is the human tendency for people to react in one of two ways.  Either we will act and react through fight, or we will react through flight.  In other words, in the midst of trouble, people will confront their crisis head on, and seek to fight their way through and out, or they will run from their problems. 

It is indeed true that we all struggle from time to time in our ability to overcome all of the trouble that is in our midst.  And in the midst of this, we wonder about the very presence and providence and power of God.  Where is God in the midst of our struggles?  It is one thing to proclaim that God is a provider – an on-time, right now God – but it is yet another thing to know that when you call on God, God will indeed show up when you need the Lord.

And so it is in midst of crisis and trouble in our lives, we who are people of faith  need to know where God is in the midst of our trials and tribulations.  For if we know where God is, then we will know where our courage and strength really lies – not in us, but in God.

And so it is that we find evidence of the presence of God in the face of crisis in the story of Daniel.  The book of Daniel is part of the biblical genre known as apocalyptic, a type of literature that appeals to an oppressed and down-and-out people, and emphasizes God’s ultimate power over all that will confront God’s people. 

RACIAL PROFILING

 

 

 

 

For those of you who know me, you are aware that I am one of the persons who is very troubled by the death of Trayvon Martin on 2/26/12, and the recent acquittal of the man who shot and killed him. I am concerned for his family who has los...t a son, brother, nephew and cousin. And I am concerned about what this means for America, the nation of my birth and life, and especially what this says and means about the perceptions that we have about young black and brown males in America, and how we value their lives.

I write and speak not as a media pundit or politician, but as a concerned citizen of the United States. I write and speak as a parent, a pastor and a theologian. I write and speak as a person who has led, taught and coached young persons of many nations and all races for three decades. I write and speak because I believe it is our right and duty to do so. And I write and speak because I seek to more fully understand what is going on in our nation, and perhaps to help raise consciousness so that we can all do our part in making things better for all people.

One of the images that has haunted me for over a year as it regards Trayvon Martin's death is the hoodie that he was wearing. Maybe it is because I have seen my sons - who were both excellent athletes and honor students - leave the house on hundreds of occasions wearing hoodies. Maybe it is because I wore a hoodie through many years as a football and basketball coach of young boys of all races. Maybe it is because today I wear a hoodie to the gym four days a week to stay warm after sweating through my workouts. And so more than even the Skittles or Arizona Ice Tea, it is the image of the hoodie that haunts me.

This past week, Geraldo Rivera went on the record again by saying that the reason why Trayvon Martin was shot in the chest and killed was because he was wearing a hoodie. I wonder what the direct connection is between a teenager's death and wearing a hoodie, and how in the world anybody could arrive at this conclusion. I've appealed to Aristotle's formal logic on this one, but I can't figure it out... ‪

SHORT PEOPLE

 
 
 
 
 
 

Luke 19:1-10

This morning, I’m here to talk to and about short people.  No - I’m not here to talk necessarily to or about people who are short in physical stature.  I didn’t come today to talk to or about those who are perhaps “vertically challenged.”  But this message is for some short people.

I’m here to share some things with all of us – because in some way – we’re all short.  The apostle Paul said it best when he declared that “we’ve all sinned and come short of the glory of God.”  

We’re all short in one way or another - short on mercy and grace in our lives – short on loving our neighbors – short on caring for the needy – short in the areas of generosity and compassion – short in gentleness and kindness – short on doing justice and walking humbly with God – short in forgiveness - short on speaking the truth in love - short on caring for the environment – short in our commitment to the church - short in our love and relationship with God.  We’re all short in one way or another. 

BECOMING A TRANSFORMED NONCONFORMIST (THE REMIX)

 

“Be not conformed to the world; but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” (Romans 12:2)

 
About fifty years ago, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. preached a sermon entitled, “Transformed Nonconformist.”  Dr. King based his message on the familiar text from the Apostle Paul’s letter to the Roman Church, where in the 12^th chapter, Paul reminded the Christians in Rome that they were to “be not conformed to the world, but to be transformed by the renewing of (their) minds.” 

The context for Dr. King’s message, this matter of transformed nonconformity, was the American Civil Rights movement of the mid-20^th century, and the need for leadership in the church and society that would stay the course in seeking to transform society and deliver America from the racial division, economic disparity, and other social maladies that plagued our nation then.

Dr. King’s message has haunted me over the years, as I have thought about what it means to be a leader in the church today.  And it has led me lately to think about what it means for us to be adaptive in our leadership.  In a nutshell adaptive leadership is what I sense that Dr. King was talking about when he talked about transformed nonconformity.