Sermon from the Fifth Sunday after Epiphany + Pr. Sharai Jacob + February 3, 2024
Artwork: Photo of a mural of George Floyd Jr. on Gaza’s apartheid wall.
It’s the first weekend of Black History Month! Some notable events from Black history that happened on Feb 3rd and 4th are:
Feb. 3, 1870, the 15th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified — granting Black men the right to vote.
On Feb 4, 1794, seven years after being ushered out of a segregated church for sitting in the “white section,” Rev. Richard Allen founded Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Philadelphia. The first AME church.
Feb 4th, 1913 Rosa Parks was born in Tuskegee, Alabama.
Each of these events in Black History are beginnings. They mark moments of great joy. Hearing that the right for Black men to vote had been won would have sent waves of Joy across Black communities all over the country. There would have been great Joy in founding a church where Black folks could lead, worship, and serve as full, equal children of God. The birth of their baby would have been a joyful day for Rosa Parks’ parents and family.
But each of these moments has an undercurrent of some other emotion—and maybe it’s just that we can look back at the events of history and see the painful moments that came before and after these events. But, I’m sure that upon hearing that the right to vote was now theirs, Black folks could still see that it would be a fight to get to the polls. I’m sure that Rev. Richard Allen would have preferred to be treated as an equal child of God in every church everywhere, not just in his own church. I’m sure that Rosa Parks’ parents understood the ways that the world was stacked against their beautiful, fragile baby. She and her parents would have to fight for safety, equality, and freedom in this world.
These Joyful moments that carry an undercurrent of some other, darker, feeling are much like the one in our reading today! The Holy family arrives in Jerusalem to present baby Jesus to be circumcised, so that Jesus, their firstborn son, would be designated as holy to the Lord according to Jewish law.
As they enter the temple, Simeon appears! Simeon has been waiting for the Messiah to arrive. For the “consolation” for his people. The Greek uses the word paraklésis which is defined as “a calling to one's aid, i.e. encouragement, comfort.” He sees Jesus, and takes the baby in his arms. Finally, a helper to aid his people. He praises God saying, “My eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people.”
What a Joyful moment!
And then, Simeon turns to Mary, and he warns her that Jesus would bring change that would cause the falling and rising of many in Israel. Simeon says, He will be opposed and will reveal the inner thoughts of many - even Mary would have a sword pierce her own soul.
Do you feel that undercurrent, it’s the same one we recognized in the other three events? It reminds me of a pattern that I know most people of color and especially Black people in this country recognize. Anytime there is a hero raised up as someone making meaningful change, you may hear people say something like, “If he’s not careful, they’ll kill him.” This has been true throughout Black History, not just in the US, but globally.
What Simeon explains to Mary and Joseph about Jesus’ future bringing change. About people’s hearts being revealed. Simeon’s warning that many would rise and many would fall would have sounded harsh to the religious leaders and the rulers who profited from the oppression of the people in Israel.
But to Anna, who at 84 years old, had been mourning most of her life. Praying day and night in the temple, fasting for years on end, not just for her husband, but for her people. To her, those words would have been sweeter than honey. Anna represents a people whose land is being actively stolen and occupied by colonizers who impose rules and restrictions upon her people as though they are second-class citizens.
Anna hears these words of warning and she shouts, “Freedom!” To Anna, knowing that a sword would pierce even her own heart was cause for celebration, was Good News to be shared. But, not all of us are like Anna, maybe some of us would hear that and be worried - what if my heart is revealed, and I don’t like what I see? How can we get hope like Anna’s that holds the scary parts of liberation alongside the joyful ones?
Anna’s hope, the hope that permeates Black History, the hope we see in global calls for liberation - including that of Palestine - is not swayed by the knowledge that there will be hard things to face. We hear from the whole Gospel, from the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus that God’s work doesn’t stop at revealing what’s wrong. God’s work doesn’t stop at creating a new law. Simeon’s paraklésis, Simeon’s call for aid has been answered. God is here to do the work with us, to change our hearts, and to change our world. So let us do the work together with Joy.