The following is a sermon I preached at Union Theological Seminary's (UTS) James Chapel on February 6,2006 during the special "History of the Black Church Series"- Sponsored by the UTS Black Caucus as part of its African American History Month Celebration.
In our scripture today, Isaiah, the 8th Century prophet stands in the presence of God and receives directly from God his commission. He sets forth how the prophet is to bring judgment upon “this” people” through the context of disaster. God commands Isaiah what to say and do, and sets out the purpose of those words and actions.
He is to tell the people to look but not understand; he is to prevent the people from understanding, hearing, or seeing lest they see, listen and comprehend and “turn and be healed.” Isaiah’s mission is clear: He is to prevent repentance and healing. While Isaiah does not expressly object to this commission, he does raise a question.. This question is viewed as his prayer of intercession for the people. He asks God, “How long?"
We all know that the contemporary call to respond prophetically to the social ills of racism, poverty, and other forms of injustice is experienced predominantly in our churches in the context of prayer and worship. Unless, of course, you’re a member of the Union community. You give that prayer and that worship “feet”. Most of us are convicted to raise awareness and demonstrate concern by going directly to the people and the problems they face, taking corrective action.
That’s what we did by traveling as part of the Poverty Initiative’s fact finding trip to the Gulf Coast. We traveled to not only find answers to our questions. But we wanted to provide “hands on” relief and address “head on” the problems of Hurricane Katrina. We wanted to “intercede” on behalf of the people.
Here I am lord send me. I want you to use me in whatever way you see fit. I want to be your instrument of mercy. I want to link up with other people of good will and become a force of one to overcome poverty, racism, hatred and other social evils. But, guess what? A funny thing happened when I got there.
My eyes saw things that I could not comprehend. My ears heard things that I could not filter. I just did not want to listen to them. My heart was overwhelmed by emotions that I could not contain. And, I wondered how a God so good, so merciful, so loving, so kind and so omnipotent could let this kind of devastation occur. I and others witnessed a region of the land fall to such unimaginable ruin. Here I am O Lord. Send me. But what do I do when I get there?
God, there are just so many questions still flashing through my mind. Is this man’s punishment from the hands of an angry and wrath filled God? As in Isaiah’s time? In this day and age is the judgment which Isaiah was to give the people in his times still warranted? Is this repairable? Is the devastation so huge that it can never be repaired? And, if so, what are we doing here? What purpose are we serving? Can we really make some useful sense out of all of this?
I didn’t have the kind of money the people I was there to help needed. I didn’t have enough resources to make a difference. I still think about Carol Burnett from the Union class of 1981 who runs an early childhood development program through the United Methodist’s Moore Community House in Biloxi, Mississippi. Eight of her buildings were essentially wiped out by the hurricane. She had 36 employees that were displaced and the neighborhood surrounding Moore is all but desolate. Except for the newly built mixed income housing project close by, most of the neighborhood is uninhabitable.
What can you do when you sincerely want to help? But, some people and governmental institutions seem to thwart and discourage at every turn? What can you do when you have every good intention? Well, you know what they say about good intentions. People don’t always see eye to eye. In fact, many times they don’t. And when and if they ever come to a consensus, it is the result of a lot of time and effort to get them to arrive at one.
That is one of the main reasons I would venture to say, that rebuilding efforts are taking so long in New Orleans. There are political disagreements on who should do it, how it should be done and who and how much they should be paid. Press, a real estate developer in New Orleans gave us a window into how complex the rebuilding issues can be or become if the necessary legislation is not passed.
I thought about Rev. Patrick Keen, a Lutheran pastor who spoke very candidly to us about his beliefs about the levee malfunction in New Orleans during the storm. He believes that they were intentionally blown up. And that the 9th Ward, a lower income area where most of the blacks live was sacrificed to save the French Quarters. There is nothing I knew that I could say to convince him otherwise. Quite frankly, he made a pretty strong case. He even recommended a book, “Rising Tide”, in support of his position, saying how the book shows how it was done before. What do you do when you get there? Can I get a witness?
Then Ted Quant of Ache Community Center shared with us his view. By then, most of our group was still completely stunned that such a thing could happen or that the belief itself could even exist. He didn’t believe that the levees had been intentionally destroyed. But that there was so much hatred demonstrated against the black community that he could see how it could be perceived by them that something like this could really happen. So, what do you do to allay people’s apprehensions to calm their fears? Many of the residents of the 9th ward are not returning to New Orleans because they simply fear for their safety. God, how long? What do you do when you get there?
The conditions there were the worst of any ruin you could even imagine or experience in your worst nightmares. Yet on the other side of town, the “Garden District” where all the aristocrats live, it was life and business as usual. You would not even know that a hurricane had ever been through the city of New Orleans, ever. Here Am I O’Lord Send me. What Do I do now that I’m here?
Well. We had a chance to make a difference no matter how small or large in the end it may be viewed by others. Here We Are God. Send us! What did we do when we got there?
I tell you. We did not pronounce judgment upon the people. We instead interceded with our loving and caring actions which translated into Isaiah’s prayer of intercession, when he responded to his commission by asking God, How long?
We helped people regain their sense of compassion and confidence that there is a God and that there are people out there who still serve a merciful one.
There was Mr. Edinburgh, an 80 something black man that could not live in his home due to the level of toxic mold remaining on the walls after the flood water receded. When we arrived at his home, the customary “water line” and “recovery team” codes, were outside, indicating whether the house contained a dead body, was covered by insurance or had a pet inside. Mr. Edinburgh was outside his house shoveling scraps and particles of debris out from his curbside when we arrived. He was downcast when we first got there. But, after members of the team helped to strip the molded basement walls in an effort to save his home, he was happier. He told us thanks for coming to see about him.
When the cities lay in ruin and despair is all around?
What do you do?
When suspicion and accusations of hatred are there?
What Do You Do?
When educational institutions are laying crumbled in the dirt before you?
When entire communities have been left to rot and go to the dogs?
When the social structures and signs of civilization like freeways and bridges have been crumpled up like accordion instruments?
You reach out and touch somebody and show you care about their plight. Always ready to step up to the plate with the response that becomes a proclamation.
Here am I. Lord. Send Me!!!
Related Blog Articles:
Raising Katrina Consciousness
Raising Katrina Consciousness: Poverty, Neglect, Hatred and Greed Meet Neighborly Concern and Compassion:The Real Humanitarian Relief
Come See About Me (My Space Blog)
www.heavieroctaves.org: Rosie O'Donnell's- For All Kids Foundation-Help for Katrina Survivors
A Missing O'Donnell Observation
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An audio mp3 of this sermon can be found at the following link(Coming soon!)
The book "Katrina:Listening With Our Hearts,the cover of which starts off the above photo slide show, is a compilation of blogs,sermons,reports,photgraphs and other information which was created or gathered during the trip to Hurricane Katrina ravaged New Orleans and other parts of the Gulf Coast.You may purchase the book at www.povertyinitiative.org
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