February 21, 2012
Lead the Change
Middle Church is a center for social action and ongoing interfaith dialogue for the purpose of justice and reconciliation. We are committed to enact the values of radical love and inclusion in our congregation, community, and world, believe racial/ethnic, gender/sexual orientation and economic justice are inextricably linked in our culture and around the globe.
Learn to lead the change at The Middle Project’s (middleproject.org) 2012 national conference: Igniting Social Justice Through Worship and the Arts in New York City April 21 – April 24, 2012. To be a part of our worship celebration watch our live streaming every Sunday at 11:15 am (EST) at middlechurch.org. The words spoken by laity at Middle Collegiate Church are excerpted from an interview Dr. King gave in 1963 at Western Michigan University.
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2 comments:
Strange, but my pastor said about the same thing in a sermon before the Presbytery at another local Presbyterian church last week.
Inasmuch as I certainly do agree with him in theory, I cannot help but assert the validity of my love, comfort, and appreciation of the religious style of worship that is generally reflected in the music, sermon-delivery, and worship format of churches within my own racial composition -- no matter what denomination I may enjoy visiting.
I can also appreciate and enjoy many ethnic-related church services, but there is something about the comraderie and familiarity, something about the ebb and flow of the service, the rhythm and rock of the singers, the call and response of the preacher and the believer -- that sends my soul to great heights of delight. I am happy for those who become "happy"; I am shouting inside with those who are shouting on the outside; I am clapping my hands, and patting my feet with the best of them. I am raising my hand and waving my arm -- "hallelujah!" -- and I feel real good about it. I like to listen to an articulate message with many informative details -- but I like the words to be punctuated with vocal inflections and body language that instills in me the very meaning of the message. This is what I find in the Black church. All Hail King Jesus! All Hail Emmanuel! I can feel it in my bones. . . I can feel it in my soul ... and I feel comfortable in expressing myself through my God-given culture -- in the high-level Black church.
So, I'm sorry to say that I can't lead the change -- yet I'm willing to participate -- and do! And I am well received when I do visit predominantly majority-population churches -- and sing songs of familiarity and even unfamiliar (reading the music) with the best of those too. Nevertheless, you see it's like this:
Now I don't mind visiting -- BUT . . . .
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