Goodness Weekly 6.19.23
“Those who believe love is a scarcity are less likely to give it away freely.”
— Cole Arthur Riley, This Here Flesh
Sunset Worship Series
These monthly Wednesday nights have something for all ages!
Story Swap starts at 5:45pm
Come learn about your fellow neighbor at 5:45pm before our Sunset Worship series at our monthly story swap.
Teens are invited to stay after for a night of games and fun starting at 7:30pm.
What’s Good:
It’s Juneteenth! On June 19, 1865, Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger informed the community of Galveston of Lincoln's proclamation. Though it was issued years prior, enslavers were held responsible for telling the enslaved they were free, and some ignored the directive. Maj. Gen. Gordon demanded Galveston locals comply with the proclamation.
In Honor of Juneteenth we share this poem from author and theologian Dr. Barbara Holmes.
This poem is an excerpt from her book Joy Unspeakable tracing the thread of creative expression from the birth of the universe through the Christian Desert Mothers and Fathers, through slavery and the continued oppression of people of color.
“Joy Unspeakable
is not silent,
it moans, hums, and bends
to the rhythm of a dancing universe.
It is a fractal of transcendent hope,
a hologram of God’s heart,
a black hole of unknowing.
For our free African ancestors,
joy unspeakable is drum talk
that invites the spirits
to dance with us,
and tell tall tales by the fire.
For the desert Mothers and Fathers,
joy unspeakable is respite
from the maddening crowds,
And freedom from
“church” as usual.
For enslaved Africans during the
Middle Passage,
joy unspeakable is the surprise
of living one more day,
and the freeing embrace of death
chosen and imposed.
For Africans in bondage
in the Americas,
joy unspeakable is that moment of
mystical encounter
when God tiptoes into the hush arbor,
testifies about Divine suffering,
and whispers in our ears,
“Don’t forget,
I taught you how to fly
on a wing and a prayer,
when you’re ready
let’s go!”
Joy Unspeakable is humming
“how I got over”
after swimming safely
to the other shore of a swollen Ohio river
when you know that you can’t swim.
It is the blessed assurance
that Canada is far,
but not that far.
For Africana members of the
“invisible institution,” the
emerging black church,
joy unspeakable is
practicing freedom
while chains still chafe,
singing deliverance
while Jim Crow stalks,
trusting God’s healing
and home remedies,
prayers, kerosene,
and cow patty tea.
For the tap dancing, boogie woogie,
rap/rock/blues griots
who also hear God,
joy unspeakable is
that space/time/joy continuum thing
that dares us to play and pray
in the interstices of life,
it is the belief that the phrase
“the art of living”
means exactly what it says.
Joy Unspeakable
is
both FIRE AND CLOUD,
the unlikely merger of
trance and high tech lives
ecstatic songs and a jazz repertoire
Joy unspeakable is
a symphony of incongruities
of faces aglow and hearts
on fire
and the wonder of surviving together.”
Happy Father’s Day
To all of the fathers, biological or not, in our community, we are grateful for the ways that you serve, care, and father us. We hope that your day was filled with love. For those missing their fathers today, or the father they wished they had and didn’t, we pray for you and hold you in our hearts.
A Message from Jess
“Though it was issued years prior, enslavers were held responsible for telling the enslaved they were free and some ignored the directive.”
I don’t know about you, but reading this line struck a chord in me.
I want to keep the message short because today, on this Juneteenth, I would rather have you spend time with Dr. Holmes' poem above and be moved to a deeper understanding of what your fellow human has experienced than to listen to my voice. But the line above sparks a question that I think is important for all of us to consider:
What do our beliefs hold us responsible for?
For me, my belief requires me to have a complete intolerance for the oppression of any other human. My belief requires me to tell every single person, You are loved. You are loved. You are loved.
Scripture tells us that Jesus came to set the oppressed free—may we have the courage to follow His lead.
Love, Jess
Upcoming Events
Wednesday, June 21 Summer Outdoor Evening Worship (Story Share, Outdoor Worship, Youth Group)
Sunday, June 25th, 4:30 PM Chapel Liturgy
Inhale:
May my joy be rooted in goodness and wholeness
Exhale:
And never be at the cost of someone else’s
