Church today - big sermon

Today, I heard the Rev Jesse Jackson, Sr. preach at the American Church in Paris. He is currently the President (and founder) of the RainbowPUSH Coalition.

The title of his sermon was ‘A Mind for Peace’, or ‘A Dream of Peace’ as he stated in the beginning. He used two applicable Bible passages, Genesis 37:5-11 (Joseph and his dream) and Matthew 5:9 (Blessed are the peacemakers).

My observations :

--He said he and his delegation were jet lagged, arriving from Chicago today (?) that’s what I thought he said, but I don’t know if that is logistically possible to then show up for an 11 a.m. service.

--I guess the jet lag explains his subdued demeanor (but I never saw him yawn), but did he have to look solemn/serious/unhappy?

--I was shocked he did not even read along when the Apostle’s Creed was said. Certainly this is something every ordained minister knows by heart and would feel compelled/moved to recite with the congregation?

--As with the Associate Pastor at ACP, the Rev Laurie Wheeler, he wasn’t as cognizant that the ACP is an International congregation, not just American, and for many English is a 2nd language : he talked too fast, dropped the end of his words/phrases, and used idoms. I found myself in serious concentration to understand him and I think my English is pretty good.

--In the theme of peace, he referred often to the Aug 6 events of 1945 and 1965. The atomic bombing of Hiroshima and the signing of the Voting Rights Act in the US.

--Evidently, this was not his first time at ACP’s pulpit, but I don’t know when before he was there.

--The Rev Dr Martin Luther King, Jr. has also preached at ACP, in 1963, a year before he won the Nobel Peace Prize

--After reading about Rev Jackson on Wikipedia (I know, not the most scholarly nor in depth source of info), I am not sure how I feel about him. Is he a great leader? A great spiritual person? A peace maker? Definitely lots of good things he’s done, but also some interesting viewpoints. ACP Senior Pastor Scott Herr introduced him, saying Rev Jackson has been called a ‘great unifier’ and ‘the conscience of the nation’ - I don’t think I’d consider him either. But, he must be one heck of a negotiator for all the work he has done having hostages freed.

Lines from his sermon that I liked

(I assume the sermon will be available to listen online on ACP’s website. If so, it would be found here) :

--‘Peace is not he absence of noise, that’s quietness ; it’s the presence of justice’

--‘Why do dreamers face rejection?’

--Dreamers are ‘all minorities with majority dreams’

--‘No nation is moral enough, trustworthy enough, to have nuclear bombs...WMDs’

--‘The war budget reflects our character.’ There are no soldiers to fight cancer, poverty, access to potable water, etc.

--‘Peace is seen as weak, naive.’

--‘We love martyrs when they’re dead, not when they’re alive.’

Overall feeling :

It felt more like a conglomeration of sound-bytes than a sermon. While I definitely liked that he related back to the Genesis Bible passage, it wasn’t enough for my tastes. He read the speech more than not, and wasn’t really engaging with the congregation ; he started off quiet and subdued, working his way into a more (to-be-expected) rah-rah tone (i.e. louder). While a good speech, it didn’t compel me to leave and find the nearest protest for peace to join, or to examine my life for the hypocrisies in it. It also made me think of the phrase I’ve heard often in church and in motivational literature : Be the change you want to see in the world.