Lent: A Journey towards Wholeness
The New Year began with high hopes. We then celebrated the birthday of Dr. Martin L. King, Jr and then we marched into African American History month where we celebrated the achievements of many who have been overlooked and forgotten in American History. In March we celebrate the contributions of Women and we are at the beginning of the Lenten Season.
On Wednesday at Reid Chapel we worshiped on Wednesday for Ash Wednesday Service. This year we had Rev. Chris Leevy Johnson, the pastor of Brookland Baptist Northeast as our preacher. As a pastor I have always make sure our Ash Wednesday Service is ecumenical. We love to have ministers and preachers outside of our denominational or theological tradition share the message. One of the reasons we do that is to show unity in the life of the Church.
Ash Wednesday is the beginning of the Lenten season and one of those celebrations that not all Church’s celebrate. The AME Church is a Wesleyan Church and not a high liturgical church even though some perceive it to be. The Wesleyan Church has its roots in the Anglican Church but Wesleyanism or the Methodist tradition and especially American Methodism is not high church at all.
John Wesley’s emphasis on spiritual formation and heartfelt experienced religion are the beginnings of the holiness and pentecostal movements across the globe. In South Carolina we have a saying about the AME Church. The Lowcountry is the African part, the Midlands is the Methodist part and the Piedmont is the Episcopal part of the Church. While some confuse the concept of Episcopal with high stately liturugical worship, all episcopal refers to is a form of church government. Churches that have episcopal forms of government are The Roman Catholic Church, the Orthodox Church, Anglicans, Episcopalians, Methodists, Church of God in Christ (COGIC), and some Pentecostals denominations like the Pentecostal Assemblies of the World (PAW). Episcopal refers to denominations that have Bishops.
Recently, we all participated in the 24 Hour State of our Union sponsored by Native Land Podcast host Angela Rye and watched the show dedicated to issues affecting black and brown people hosted by Roland Martin. While all of that coverage was happening the nation tuned in to President Trump’s address to the joint session of the U.S. House and Senate. Rep. Al Green was escorted out of the session because he yelled out loud, “you (Trump) have no mandate to cut Medicaid.”
Rep. Al Green who represents parts of Houston, Texas, said, “when he heard Trump say he had a mandate,” it triggered something in him. Rep. Green, said that when the incident occurred he was planning to leave. He had not planned to protest but in the heat of the moment he did plan to say what he said.
What makes this incident interesting, is that at President Obama’s first State of the Union, Congressman Joe Wilson (District 2) from South Carolina, yelled out “you lie,” when Obama mentioned that illegal Immigrants would not be covered in his healthcare plan.
Wilson was not censured and his committees were not taken away from him, even though the house voted against unruly behavior.
Why is Rep. Al Green being treated the way he is and Wilson was given a slap on the wrist? This is a good question and one Americans should grapple with. The other side to this is that Congressman Marjorie Greene also called President Biden a liar( (24) Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene Shouts “Liar!” during State of the Union – YouTube) at his State of the Union Address.
If Rep. Green has to be reprimanded why weren’t the others? Its this kind of behavior and inconsistencies in man-made institutions that make the season of lent so important.
When we celebrate and live out the Christian Calendar (Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, Ash Wednesday, Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Resurrection Sunday, and Pentecost) we are grounding ourselves in the life of Christ and striving to live out the values of Christianity. The living out of those values help us build the Kingdom of God on earth and God’s Kingdom trumps earthly and man-made Kingdoms. The dysfunction of the world and the gods we have made of politics, athletics and entertainment are not real. A Season of reflection, repentance, forgiveness, and living for something beyond instant gratification, materialism and greed is necessary and refreshing for such a time as this.
