A Son Has Returned Home

The word had gone out that Pastor Jones would be speaking at Hanson Place, so a large number of worshippers came out to hear him "break the word." He had held this congregation spellbound with his dynamic and inspiring presentations in the past, so we fully expected him to do so again.

The tone was set for the midday hour when Jeremiah Cox, Jr. led the Young Adult Choir in a beautiful rendition of prose and song that harkened back to the days of slavery, when our forefathers toiled in the fields, and sang old Negro spirituals to help carry them through the day. As he expounded on how God, in every age, delivers those who are oppressed, the choir sang a medley of soulful songs including "wade in the water, children", "what a friend we have in Jesus, and "hold on, keep your eyes on the prize, hold on". They left us with the message that our forefathers could not have made it without a song, and neither can we. We should never miss an opportunity to sing. And on that Holy Sabbath morning, sing they did, mightily! The congregation erupted in applause at the end of the performance.

After welcoming Pastor Jones and thanking him for accepting the invitation to preach at Hanson Place, Pastor Mounter introduced him as "a son who had returned home". Pastor Jones rose to address the congregation, and expressed how delighted he and his wife were to be back home at Hanson Place. In that deep, familiar voice, he shared news of his children, Cliff and Jewel, recognized a few members in the congregation, and pronounced that the glory days of Hanson Place are yet ahead, if we would embrace our new Pastor, welcome him with open arms and offer him our full cooperation and support.

He then moved into his sermon for the hour, entitled, "How We Got Over". He began with an historical perspective of the black church and the central role it has played in the lives of black people. He took us back hundreds of years to the time when our ancestors were brought from Africa in slave ships, packed like sardines, to the plantations of North America and the Caribbean, to work under some of the worst conditions. Though stripped of almost all of their social, cultural, and religious heritage, they retained their faith in God and found in Him a refuge in time of trouble.

Pastor Jones touched on the importance of scripture as the foundation of the black church. He said that our forefathers found in scripture, a record of freedom that caused them to believe that God would deliver them, just as he had delivered the children of Israel from bondage. Scripture helped our forefathers to turn their minds from the suffering of this world to a world where the weary would find rest. Out of these beliefs, the black church was launched and it became the secret to the survival of black people in the West.

The good preacher asserted that "we got over", because of the black church, and because of our faith and hope in God.

He spoke of black luminaries, like Martin Luther King, Jr., Jesse Jackson, Mordecai Johnson, Benjamin Mayes, Mahalia Jackson, John Jasper and Gardner Taylor who all came from the womb of the black church.

Pastor Jones also emphasized the special significance that worship has played in the lives of black folk. No matter what difficulties they faced during the week, they looked forward to worship on weekends. Worship offered empowerment for the good fight of faith ahead and comfort from past and present hurts. Because of this, black worship has always been praise-oriented and celebratory.

Before winding down his sermon, Pastor Jones touched on some of the issues facing the black church today. He posed a number of important questions that the black church needs to consider, as it forges into the future. He said that there are indications that the black church no longer occupies the central position of authority in the lives of black folk that it once had. Secularism and postmodernism are conspiring against it, and other social and political forces are eroding its influence. The black church is facing challenges today, which if not addressed, can marginalize or make it irrelevant.

One such challenge is the generation gap. The church needs to bridge the divide between young and old. It must find ways to minister to the hip hop, urban, rap generation. For the first time in our history, young people are growing up outside the church. They are looking for authenticity and transparency in the church, he said, and if these things are not found in the church, young folks will not stay in the church.

There is also a divide between rich and poor, store front churches and black middle class churches. He made reference to middle class worshippers who drive into poor, black neighborhoods once a week, from the suburbs, to worship and nothing else. Is the black middle class church having any impact in poor, black communities, he asked. How will the black middle class church minister to the inner city?

The pastor cautioned that worship wars are rampant in the church today and are splitting churches down the middle. There are issues over the style of worship – conservative versus charismatic, traditional versus non-traditional worship. He urged us not to become caught up in the elements and style of worship, but to be grounded in our theology of worship.

The final question posed was, "what role is Hanson Place playing in the black community?"

Pastor Jones declared that it is time to come together and recapture the historic role that the black church has played in the community. He exhorted us to "hold on" when faced with difficult times ahead. "Keep our eyes on the prize and our hands to the plough" and one day soon, we shall exchange our old song for a new song; the song of Moses and the lamb.

To close the service, the congregation joined together in singing "My hope is built on nothing less, than Jesus’ blood and righteousness".

What an appropriate ending to a message of hope, so eloquently delivered by one of Hanson Place’s very own sons!

-- Written by Judy Cox