Responding to Tragedy

In the wake of murderous acts in Pittsburgh, the bombing in the Philippines, the deadly terror in Christchurch, black churches set ablaze in Louisiana, the bombing in Sri Lanka — our beloved city now finds its name among the growing list of places where religious houses of worship were targeted by those who harbor hate.

As people of faith, goodwill and conscience, we must boldly speak out against these egregious and despicable acts targeting people of faith. We must boldly name these acts as evil, shameful and intolerable in our community, nation and world. And we must assure all, without regard to their religious beliefs, that no one should ever fear practicing and deepen their faith in their houses of worship. We must work in every way to advance and sustain communities of safety, inclusion, love and justice for all people.

We cannot remain silent in the face of these immoral acts.

We cannot sit still in silence and inaction.

We must resist.

We must fight, and we must pray.

Martin Niemoller, a Lutheran pastor well-known for his resistance to anti-Semitism in the 1930s, reminds us all of how important it is to speak our truths in these perilous times. His words, etched in stone on memorials throughout the world, speak to us today. As we extend our thoughts and prayers to our sisters and brothers directly impacted by anti-Semitic hate in Poway and all who have been emotionally and spiritually wounded, let us vow to not never stay silent in the face of hatred, oppression, violence, and values that erode our liberation and recommit ourselves to advance love, shalom and justicia in every part of our world.

A reprint of this essay appeared in the San Diego Union Tribune on Sunday, May 5, 2019.

A New Hymnal!

Recently our congregation paused in worship to consecrate the new African American Ecumenical Hymnal–One Lord, One Faith, One Baptism for corporate worship. In thanking the Diaconate whose dedicated vision, energy, study and resources made the new hymnal available for use in our congregation, we also gave thanks for the wider ecumenical church–consisting of composers, poets, artists, editors, publishers and committee members whose tireless labor, under the guidance of the Spirit, brought the hymnal from conception to fruition.

While many Churches are storing away heavy hymnals in favor of popular praise and worship melodies on screens and handheld digital devices, Christian Fellowship is restoring church hymnody in our worship life with 21st century language set to traditional well-known tunes. The result of this restoration we believe will be not only a relevant “cultural memory bank” for future generations, but also a theologically rich vocabulary from which to worship, praise and speak about our God.

While it is imperative that the church not only have a rich theological vocabulary shaped in part by neatly packed, theologically robust church hymns–there is a clear recognition that the language and musical style of most standard church hymns often date an already ancient institution as less than relevant for our time. To correct this, Dr. James Abbington of the Candler School of Theology at Emory University brought together a richly diverse Core Committee who worked very hard to ensure that this new African American Ecumenical Hymnal contained diverse styles and genres, including traditional ecumenical hymns, contemporary texts written for the twenty-first-century church, praise and worship selections, music from Taizé, choral responses, responsorial psalmody, traditional and contemporary gospel music, and Negro spirituals.

While the hymnal does not adequately address the question of inclusive language, it is a beautiful refresh to the nearly 25 year African American Heritage Hymnal seen in many Black Churches today. This hymnal, featuring a golden ankh debossed on its cover, will be a welcomed aid for 21st century Black Churches who want to stir people’s hearts, instruct their minds, and strengthen their spirits in ways that 7-11 songs cannot.

Faith and Science

Harriett Martineau once said,

We do not believe in immortality because we can prove it, but we try to prove it because we cannot help believing it.

To be certain, there are things in science that we do not believe because we can prove them, yet there is an endless pursuit to keep trying to prove them because we cannot stop believing in them. This week with the emergence of the first-ever image of a black hole–our global scientific community brought forward “proof,” from over 55 million light years away, of a belief they have been trusting since Einstein first articulated it in 1915. That image, what scientists called the most mysterious object in the universe, of deep darkness surrounded by a ring of light made possible by dust caught by flames, excited the global scientific world and provoked my faith. I’ve reconciled in some ways that my faith in God is a bit like their years of research and study—a relentless pursuit, driven not by ability to provide proof but by deep belief. This “faith” solidifies my hope and encourages me to keep trying, especially when others doubt, and perhaps one day if I keep at it the universe will open up a horizon in a unique way and offer the “proof” that is sorely needed.

‘Zekiel saw de wheel
Way up in de middle of de air
‘Zekiel saw de wheel
Way in de middle of de air
De big wheel run by faith
Little wheel run by de grace of God
Wheel in a wheel
Way up in de middle of de air

Wheel, oh, wheel
Wheel in de middle of a wheel

—-

Why Jazz?

Dr. Willie James Jennings, a Systematic Theologian and Africana Studies professor at Yale University Divinity School, believes that the music of jazz inspires the faithful to see and experience the incarnation of God. In an article simply entitled “Seeing God in Jazz” Professor Jennings writes about the power of jazz and the lessons the church should learn from the way the music comes together and from the musicians who give it life. He contends,

“churches could learn much from reflecting on a jazz band. Here are a group of people who work very hard listening, yet give up nothing of themselves in that process, but in fact only gain a true sense of themselves in the common task of making music, producing sound that makes a central statement that exists only through the constitutive performances of each musician…Musicians live and play in tight quarters, which is not only a matter of the given but also a matter of choice. They need closeness to hear. Would that Christians could grasp this basic truth of our witness: We don’t simply need each other, we need to be close together in order to truly hear the words we should be saying to the world and, equally important, to hear more clearly the voice of the world in its pain, suffering and longing.”

In recognition of Jazz Appreciation Month, our diverse and faithful Jazz Vespers congregation will honor and celebrate local jazz personalities who have contributed historic and cultural significance to the local jazz community in San Diego and throughout the world at our weekly 5PM worship service. Our honorees for the month are Mr. John Phillips of 88.3FM on Sunday, April 7th; acclaimed jazz harpist Mariea Antoinette on Palm Sunday, April 14; and Mr. Joshua White on Easter Sunday, April 21.

On the Mystery of the Incarnation

On the Mystery of the Incarnation

by Denise Levertov

Rev. Dr. Prathia Hall entrusted by her Creator to embody the Word (Brown Chapel AME; Selma, 1964)

It’s when we face for a moment

the worst our kind can do, and shudder to know

the taint in our own selves, that awe

cracks the mind’s shell and enters the heart:

not to a flower, not to a dolphin,

to no innocent form

but to this creature vainly sure

it and no other is god-like, God

(out of compassion for our ugly

failure to evolve) entrusts,

as guest, as brother,

the Word.

Responding to Tragedy

A New Hymnal!

Faith and Science

Why Jazz?

On the Mystery of the Incarnation

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