Sermon by the Rev. Bernadette Hartsough
June 18, 2023
Matthew 9:35-10:8-23
“When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harnessed and helpless like sheep without a shepherd”.
Jesus sends his disciples out into this world. People harnessed to the past. People walking around not understanding the world that they live in. People grieving and being alone. People harnessed to a world where there is little connection to community and others and for some people, living in an endless cycle of trying to meet their daily needs. It is in this world that Jesus sends his disciples. Jesus sends them out because he saw the pain and frustration of the people. He sends them out to remind the people that there is still hope. God is around and God sees. God gives strength and God gives hope.
It was the disciples’ job to proclaim the kingdom of heaven. he gave them authority to cleanse and to heal. They were to tell the story.
This has always been the job of the church-to tell the story by words and actions. Jesus commissions them to go to the lost sheep of Israel. Later in the gospel of Matthew, after the resurrection, Jesus commissions them to go to all nations.
As followers of Jesus, we too tell the story. People are hungry to have hope and something to believe in but people outside of the church do not trust us. In the last 50 years, large denominational churches have been criticized for scandals by leaders, misappropriation of money, not living what they say they believe, and being judgmental of others. Yes, our churches are guilty of all of these things. So how do we tell the story and preach hope in the midst of these past sins? We tell the story. The worst thing that we can do is to deny these past sins. We must acknowledge them. We tell the story of a people that made mistakes. We tell the story of a people that wandered and sinned. But most importantly we tell the story of a people that recognized their sins and were forgiven. Jesus tells us that proclaiming the story will not be easy.
Tomorrow, we celebrate Juneteenth. June 19th is a federal holiday commemorating the emancipation of African American slaves. It is a celebration of the order issued by Major General Gordon Granger on June 19, 1865, proclaiming freedom for all slaves in the state of Texas. It commemorates the day more than 2 years after the emancipation proclamation when enslaved Black Americans in Galveston Texas were informed of their freedom. In some states it is observed as a federal holiday. It is a day of remembrance.
I mention it today not to make us white people feel guilty or shamed. I bring it up today for two reasons. First, I bring it up to tell you about how enslaved African Americans told the story. Enslaved Africans came to North and South America, Europe, and the Caribbean. They were taken from their culture and sold as merchandise to work on plantations and in the service industry. They came here unable to speak English and not knowing about our Christian god. Their African religions revolved around expressing God and ancestors through music and dance.
Slave owners “Christianized” the enslaved persons. They allowed them to learn about Jesus and selected portions of the Bible. Some enslaved persons were allowed to attend church under the supervision of a white preacher. As enslaved persons learned the Christian stories, they could relate to the Exodus when God through Moses freed the Israelites. They could relate to Jesus’s words, “I have come to proclaim release to the captives…”. However, because of the censoring by slave owners, enslaved persons could not worship and pray for deliverance. So, enslaved Africans went into the harbors at night. These were called hush harbors. They met in the dark in a private location and sang and danced and prayed. They told their story to Jesus. This is what gave them strength and hope.
The second reason I bring up Juneteenth is as a reminder that we too tell our stories. We tell our stories to help heal the world. We tell our stories because God’s people throughout history have told their stories. The Israelites worshipped idols, committed adultery, murdered. So many of the saints like St. Paul did horrendous acts to others but they told their story and were forgiven. As we tell our stories, we must acknowledge that we have benefited from a system that placed white skinned persons above dark-skinned persons. Our country benefitted from using enslaved people as free labor. We have benefitted from our white families that could work, own property, and pass that inheritance along to us. I am not saying all of this to make you angry or to feel guilty. I am saying it because it is part of the truth of our stories and awareness can help to bring reconciliation.
My biological father was from West Virginia. His ancestors go back to the 1700’s with the English surname Skinner. When I worked in Gary, I met some African Americans named Skinner from Virginia. I wondered how they received the surname, Skinner. After speaking with them I learned that their ancestors belonged to the Skinners-a plantation that was owned by one of my distant relatives. They knew immediately when they found out that my maiden name was Skinner. They knew their story. I did not know about the plantation until they told me. It is a part of my story.
Our church-the Episcopal Church also has a story. It is a story rich with brilliant theologians and scholars and bishops and saints. It is also a story of supporting slave owners, a story of perpetuating the slave trade, and a story of not speaking up against the injustices of slavery in order to protect financial holdings of the church. It is a story that we must own and in owning it we will try to do better.
Jesus sends us out to give hope to others by telling God’s story of hope and life and redemption. We tell it best by telling how our lives and our stories are redeemed by God. We tell the truth and maybe just maybe we can bring hope and healing to a harnessed and helpless world.