Barack Obama Makes Surprise Visit To My Church
Well, not really.
A big, burly, black man sat down in the back of the sanctuary. It is surprising how often some total stranger will visit our Wednesday evening services. I will usually have time beforehand to get to know the person a little bit and encourage him or her to move closer to the front with the rest of the group. But, this guy slipped in the last minute. He wore a dark suit and held a large Bible. And with interest, from time to time, I would glance his way as the worship service progressed.
Our midweek gathering is a simple affair. Most people, even regular church members, do not attend midweek worship. And I find this to be unfortunate, because it seems to me one could truly benefit from that shot of spiritual energy and nourishment that could be gained. On this particular night we had about 20 in attendance. We sang a couple of hymns, and then spent about 15 minutes in prayer. Then I lead in a basic Bible study.
We concentrated upon Acts 10-11, which tells the story of Peter’s encounter with Cornelius. Peter was Jewish in tradition, and Cornelius a Gentile. Both groups had a simmering, historical, and longstanding animosity toward the other. Especially upon grounds of religion, they did not associate. Then, of course, God came along and insisted upon knocking their silly prejudices out of their heads and hearts. Through this experience the non-Jewish world was opened to the gospel, and the rest of the New Testament is that story. Thus, this is an important juncture in the scriptures.
I made some salient points, at least in my opinion. Most of us preachers are brilliant in our own estimation. I hammered home the truth that ingrained beliefs, even personal absolutes, must be made subject to God’s will. We must be willing to change even the most stubborn mindsets when God insists. Peter, in spite of his history of prejudice, became a friend and advocate of the Gentiles.
The application to our present culture was obvious. And our guest picked up on it. As I was wrapping up, I asked if anyone had a comment, and he raised his hand and said, “I do”. He talked for about 5 minutes. He gave the famous MLK quote about judging a man according to the content of character and not the color of skin. And, interesting to me, he said we have a candidate for President who is proclaiming a message of Hope. Then he sat down. I acknowledged his pertinent point, that indeed while the church should surely be in the forefront of bringing people together under the banner of love, collectively we remain probably the most segregated and exclusive institution. In a moment we closed in prayer. I looked to the back of the church, and our mysterious guest was gone.
I do not agree with Obama’s repeated claim to offer a refreshing message of hope. And it bothers me that any group of people would choose to vote, lock-step, in unison for a candidate because of race. However, I did pick up on the cultural and even soul connection felt by this man. Race, religion, and politics are absolutely intertwined for him. And I have no doubt we will see that reflected in November, when the black Church will turn out over 90% for Obama.
Our guest was making the point, with clumsy subtlety and a bit of courage, that the white community should learn the same lesson as Peter. I agree. Is it possible that he could learn something, also?
