I have said these things to you while I am still with you. But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything, and remind you of all that I have said to you.'  John 14:25-26 After the stoning of Stephen recounted in Acts, things got dicey for Christians in Palestine. They were forced to scatter to different cities throughout the Roman Empire. Philip wound, up as fate would have it, or more likely as God willed it, in Samaria. Philip must have been hesitant for, as we know, the Samaritans and Jews had a volatile and sometimes violent history. He had been charged to spread the word that a Jewish man, named Jesus, was God and the savior of the world. The Spirit must have been burning inside Philip because somewhere he got the courage to preach. Not only did they not run him out of town but, to his amazement, "they listened eagerly to what he said." Encouraged by their responsiveness, Philip built up a head of steam and he exorcized demons and cured the lame. By the time he was done he had transformed the town and because of his work there the passage tells us, "There was great joy in that city." From there God asked Philip to make his way to Gaza and on the road, he encountered the queen of Ethiopia and the servant in charge of her treasury. It almost seems like a chance encounter, but the servant is reading a passage from Isaiah and the Spirit prompts Phillip to approach him. In a moment the Ethiopian shares the passage that had caught his attention, “like a sheep he was led to the slaughter…in his humiliation justice was denied him.” And then perhaps the Spirit also prompts this Ethiopian for he asked a question about whom is Isaiah speaking? The perfect opening for Philip to share the good news of Jesus Christ about whom we believe Isaiah was speaking. Right then and there the Ethiopian embraces this profound and amazing and hopeful message. He doesn’t waste a moment, “Look here is water what’s to prevent me from being baptized!” The Ethiopian receives this amazing gift but right as he comes out of the water Philip is snatched away! This is the end of this Ethiopian’s Biblical story. Just a mere handful of verses. But this inconspicuous, innocent, brief, and simple encounter leads to another story, an incredible story, the rest of the story, from which the ancient intellectual center of Christianity grows, and the modern locus of Christianity emerges. While Christianity wanes in Europe and North America it's been growing in Africa at unprecedented rates in all of history. And it is the precise nature of the heart of the Christian message that has captured the hopes of so many people throughout history but especially at this time in Africa. And it all goes back to the original moment when this Ethiopian was captivated by those few verses in Isaiah which spoke about a suffering servant, which spoke about a servant of God who was willing to die in an unjust manner to save others. It was the same message that has brought hope of liberation to all peoples that have embraced this gospel from the very first followers of Jesus; he offered a unique path. Throughout history leaders have sought to bring hope to oppressed peoples but many of them also did this through the path that that relied on their own versions of death and mayhem. But the only death that was central to Jesus' plan to bring freedom was His own. And I believe it was this that moved the Ethiopian. Working in the royal court he was used to those with power wielding it over others, whereas Jesus humbled and humiliated himself. He was eager to be bound up with a Lord who would not meet violence with violence but was willing to take it upon Himself. And somehow through this brief encounter we believe that this Ethiopian was the first to bring the good news of Jesus Christ to the continent of Africa. This message of freedom and hope has been the genesis of the church in many countries in Africa. Our friend and founder of the African Dream Academy, Rev. Sam Enders, told me that Christianity came to Liberia (as a reminder Liberia was created as a place for enslaved people from America to find a free home). It was the 1800’s when the frees slaves arrived. The Presbyterian, Methodist, Baptist, and Episcopalians were the first. Natives thought about the heavens and the importance of going to a better place. The contrast of a land where there will be no suffering, no slavery, and no dying. Slavery was at its peak, death and suffering were a way of life.Natives quickly adapted and started national churches. Aladura was the fastest growing. They believed is miracle. They fasted for 40 days once a year. Sierra Leone has a similar story as do several other countries in Africa like the Congo and more. Now it is true that in some parts of Africa Christianity virtually disappeared sometime in the 7th century when Islamic influence swept through this part of the world; for the next 1,300 years Christians would be a small percentage of the population on this continent. And it is also true that the efforts to spread Christianity in Africa in the last few centuries have a problematic and mixed history. Colonial powers that brought the Christian religion to Africa all too often tragically brought more colonialism than they did Jesus, even when filled with good intentions. It has even led some to claim that Christianity is a white European religion that doesn't belong in Africa. But the situation is more complex. Daniel Justice Eshun, (Dean of Chapel, Whitelands College, University of Roehampton, London, UK) Anglican pastor from Ghana makes this startling observation, “…[Christianity] went from the periphery under European missionary leadership to Ghana’s primary religion post-independence.” (Speaking for Ourselves: The Ghanaian Encounter with European Missionaries – Sixteenth–Twenty- first Centuries, Daniel Eshun). In fact, he observes that for the entire 400 years of missionary endeavors, Christianity remained on the margins not only in Ghana but throughout Africa. It was due to attitudes such as that of 18th century missionary Rev. Thomas Thompson whose aim was, “to strike at their false worship and endeavor... to convince them of their false notions and to expose the folly of their idolatrous and superstitious rites.”  (Speaking for Ourselves: The Ghanaian Encounter with European Missionaries – Sixteenth–Twenty- first Centuries, Daniel Eshun). Mind you, this was for wanting to worship on Tuesday instead of Sunday. The withdrawal of colonialism enabled the Ghanaians to shape Christianity in the same way the Apostle Paul shaped it for those in Asia Minor, in other words based on local culture and customs. Not only is Christianity not primarily a European religion, it has a more ancient and lauded history in Africa than it does in not only North America (of course) but Europe as well. This is the rest of the story that the Bible does not tell us – about what happened after Philip and the Ethiopian’s encounter. What we do know for a fact is not the “how” but the “what”. And the “what” is that Christianity in the early centuries found its intellectual center, it's theological center, and its heart, not in its place of birth (that is Palestine) but in Africa, particularly northern Africa. One book called the Acts of the Scillitan Martyrs written in 180 AD tells some of the early hardships Christians faced in Tripoli, Tunisia, Algeria, and Morocco.  By 250 A.D. over one hundred bishoprics existed centered in Carthage.  …God has a long history in Africa and so does Christianity… (Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church) Listen to a few of these names from the first four centuries of Christianity all from Africa, Tertullian, Perpetua, Felicity, Clement of Alexandria, Origen of Alexandria, Athanasius, and Augustine of Hippo. The two women Perpetua and Felicity were amongst the first Christian martyrs recorded by history outside of scripture. Tertullian, Clement, and Origen are on virtually everybody's list of profound thinkers who helped establish Christian thought in the early centuries. Athanasius is credited more than any other human being with the creation of the Bible as we have it today! And Augustine outside of scripture is the most revered and quoted Christian thinker in all of history whose influence is still incredibly strong today! Christianity not only took hold in the intellectual center of North Africa but perhaps because of this Ethiopian’s encounter with Philip a few centuries later in 330 AD…“King Ezana of Ethiopia declared Christianity its national religion… And though it's presence waned in certain parts of the continent as one writer observed... when the Portuguese landed in Ethiopia in 1493, they found—to their shock—that it was already full of churches!” * This is the amazing, incredible way that God uses people, even misguided people, to transform lives and bring the good news because, despite those colonial’s distorted understanding of scripture, the power of the message of Jesus couldn't be lost on the people of Africa in modern times who find His love, His sacrifice, and His hope irresistible. And because of it the numbers are staggering. According to the Pew Research: At the same time Christianity has shrunk in Europe and North America, it has grown enormously in sub-Saharan Africa … where there were relatively few Christians at the beginning of the 20th century. The share of the population that is Christian in sub-Saharan Africa climbed from 9% in 1910 to 63% in 2010, while in the Asia-Pacific region it rose from 3% to 7%. Christianity today – unlike a century ago – is truly a global faith. (Pew Research) Latin America surpassed Europe as the continent with the most Christians in 2014, and Africa passed Latin America in 2018. (Dr. Gina A. Zurlo). As of 2023 there is an estimated 718 million Christians on this continent. What does this mean for us today at Brick Presbyterian Church and in our country? First, it reminds me of my father’s admonition as I was growing up (much to my chagrin) that the world does not revolve around me! Sometimes in our American context we have the false impression of being the center of all things. Second, it shows us the irresistible story of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection. It is a story for all people, from all places, and from any time, for it is a story of hope, a story of love, a story of forgiveness and a story of reconciliation. Third, it is heartening to know that as we hear about the diminishing of the influence of Christianity here in North America and Europe that it is thriving and growing like it has never grown before and places like Latin America, Africa, and Asia. Finally, it offers us a challenge – how can we learn from the Christian witness of people in Ghana, in the Congo, in Liberia, in Sierra Leone, in South Africa and so many other places on that continent? How might you and I share this good news in the way that opens people up to God's loving promises? It shows us that should God prompt our spirit, the way God prompted Phillip’s spirit, don't hesitate to share…you never know however brief a conversation can change the planet forever. Amen. Further Reading: Introducing World Christianity Edited by Charles E, Farhadian, pages 38-50. Speaking for Ourselves: The Ghanaian Encounter with European Missionaries – Sixteenth–Twenty- first Centuries, Daniel Justice Eshun Black Imperialism: Americo-Liberian Rule over the African Peoples of Liberia, 1841-1964 Author(s): M. B. Akpan Source: Canadian Journal of African Studies / Revue Canadienne des Études Africaines, Vol. 7, No. 2 (1973), pp. 217-236 *https://africa.thegospelcoalition.org/article/african-christianity-thrived-long-before-white-men-arrived/

Shared during Sunday Worship on April 21, 2024. God of peace, our hearts are gladdened that we can come before Your presence to worship You. Amid life’s trials, we thank You for hope through Your living and everlasting promises. But our hearts ache, God, that some drown in their efforts to save themselves and in the upheavals of today’s world. For them, we pray, remember Your promises, O God, and give rest on every side. ​God, our Restorer, internationally, nations war against one another and insurgents threaten the thriving of governments and populations. We ask for divine wisdom and self-control for all key players in wars and crises, especially in the Middle East, the Arab world, Europe, sub-Saharan Africa, the Americas, and Asia. For the bereaved, the displaced, the asylum-seeker, and the vulnerable, we pray, remember Your promises, O God, and give rest on every side. ​God, our Provider, in the US, may there also be profound peace and justice at all levels of government. In this year of elections, teach us to speak with civility, guide us to concentrate on issues of collective importance, and grace us with discretion to elect godly leaders. To our institutions (schools, churches, non-profits, and the like), may You multiply resources to meet increasing needs where they operate. For these also, we pray, remember Your promises, O God, and give rest on every side. ​God of love, in our sanctuary and virtual spaces are varying needs and circumstances. With joined hearts, we invite You into our individual and domestic situations, asking that You provide a way out and fill our homes with lasting love and joy. For our own sake, we pray, remember Your promises, O God, and give rest on every side. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Thank you to our 2023-2024 Seminarians for sharing their Faith Journey and experience at The Brick Church! Watch the presentation by clicking the video link below or clicking here.

I have said these things to you while I am still with you. But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything, and remind you of all that I have said to you.'  John 14:25-26 At 76 Anna Robertson had very little left since her husband had died seven years prior. She fought the emptiness with farm chores but soon life demanded a slower pace. Her daughter suggested she take on embroidery which turned out to be a great suggestion, but arthritis grew worse. Her hands were wrapped with bandages, and she even tried a home remedy of 3 cups of milk with 3-5 drops of turpentine! Of course it didn’t help; at night the aches kept her awake and could no longer embroider. But she would not set herself out to pasture. While reminiscing with her sister they recalled as a little girl she liked drawing using anything she could find to add color, from berry juice to colored chalk, even the paint used to mark the livestock. Now Anna marched up the attic to retrieve an old canvas used to patch a threshing machine cover and some old house paint. She never had an art lesson or even heard of Picasso or Van Gogh but for the next 25 years she produced 1,500 paintings, capturing the admiration of art lovers around the world. And now you know the rest of the story of Anna Robertson better known around the world as …..Grandma Moses. (adapted from Paul Harvey jr. the rest of the story) Mary Magdalene and Grandma Moses both had the first phase of their lives pass rather unremarkably and with thoughts that their impact would never been known beyond a handful of people. But the rest of the story for Mary turns out to be far more fascinating than even that of the amazing, gifted, and bold Grandma Moses. I imagine this surprises you since what we know about Mary Magdalene from scripture only amounts to a few verses. While those verses are captivating, they hardly convey that of a world-mover. But our knowledge and our impression of Mary Magdalene is sparse in today's world.Not because of what Mary did but rather what preachers, historians, and others have done through the ages. Sadly, the stories of many critical figures in history have been relegated to footnotes or, even worse, were twisted in order to fit societal expectations and prejudices, because of their gender, race, or class. Overall recent modern scholarship has sought to remedy these. For example, history has taught us that explorer Robert Peary was the first person to reach the North Pole! At least that was what I learned growing up. However deeper examination of the historical facts seemed to indicate that an African American man, Matthew Henson, and four Inuit men Ootah, Seeglo, Egingwah, and Ookqueah were the first. But history can be even worse by not only sidelining people but actively distorting their role in order to control the narrative. While it is true that throughout the history of the Christian Church women were often relegated to inferior roles, it was not a uniform occurrence. There is a particularly unfortunate twist to the story of Mary Magdalene which becomes more powerful upon reading texts outside of the Bible. Perhaps you do remember one fact about Mary, the same one I learned growing up. She was a prostitute. Only there is absolutely no reason to believe this. Nothing in the Bible. Nothing in the other ancient literature either. But in 591, Pope Gregory the Great sealed this myth by identifying her with an unnamed woman in the Gospels. This unsupported reading enabled the early church to downplay her role and pave the way to exclude women from key roles in the Church, despite Jesus’ own use of women as key leaders in the faith. It was critical for the Church to seek to diminish her role for one reason—to exclude women from the formal ministry. Not only in the ancient church, but all the way up to only a few decades ago. And it was fabrications like those committed by Gregory the Great that enabled the power structures to maintain their dominance. For in fact, women and Mary Magdalene were critical to the growth of the early church. It is true Jesus’ disciples were 12 men. But even the writing of this list and the extensive recording of those encounters, as opposed to His conversations with women, disclose cultural bias in the authors. As the texts tell the life of Jesus, without even realizing it, they cannot help but disclose something about Jesus’ discipling of women as well as men. …There were also women looking on from a distance; among them were Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joses, and Salome. These used to follow him and provided for him when he was in Galilee; and there were many other women who had come up with him to Jerusalem. (Mark 15:40-41) or …The twelve were with him, as well as some women who had been cured of evil spirits and infirmities: Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, and Joanna, the wife of Herod’s steward Chuza, and Susanna, and many others, who provided for them out of their resources. (Luke 8:1-3) These two texts teach us several things. First, Jesus traveled with women as well as men and was teaching both groups together at times. Women were not only relegated to household duties and random encounters with Jesus. The texts tell us there were many women and named several to indicate their prominence. Not only were they with Jesus in his teaching ministry they were the ones who endured when things became dangerous. Whereas the men scattered at the crucifixion, the women remained. Mary Magdalene was one of them. Secondly, the church depended upon the women financially! At a time in history when men controlled even more of the wealth than they do today, it was women who gave the financial backing to Jesus’ enterprise! In fact, in the whole New Testament, against multiple examples of women there may be only one example of a man financially supporting the early church! The early church clearly heavily depended upon the financial generosity of women. And Mary Magdalene was among them. Furthermore, Mary Magdalene has a unique role in the history of the Church. Upon Jesus’ resurrection, he gave the privilege of his first appearance not to Peter or John but to Mary Magdalene and he gave her a task, …Go to my brothers and say to them, “I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.” Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord”; and she told them that he had said these things to her. This means, upon Jesus’ command, Mary taught men about the Resurrection. She wasn’t keeping silent! In this case Mary wasn’t just one of them. She was pre-eminent among them! She was an apostle to the apostles as she came to be known in the next centuries!  Her impact and fame, like that of Doubting Thomas who went to India (whom we learned of last week) grew far beyond a few verses in scripture. In writings dating to the second and third century, such as the Dialogue of the Savior, Sophia of Jesus Christ, Gospel of Phillip, Pistis Mary, and the Gospel of Mary, she was a key figure alongside the male disciples, often besting them in faithfulness and understanding. There are dozens of examples in which she is a teacher to men and given special tasks by Jesus. In one work, Jesus says to her and a few others, "I have given you authority over all things as children of light," and finally Jesus tells Mary directly, "Your heart is directed to the Kingdom of Heaven more than all your brothers." Though these are not Biblical writings, the sheer weight of these ancient texts about Mary Magdalene indicates a very high likelihood that she indeed played a critical role both before and after Jesus’ death – just as the 12 disciples did. Perhaps most importantly, her role as Apostle to the Apostles appears again and again, being developed more fully in these works – showing she was a leader of men, a teacher to all, and a preacher of the gospel. I believe Mary Magdalene belongs right alongside the 12, not only because of her ministry with Jesus but her work afterwards. The next time you think about the role of women throughout the history of the Church you'll remember that there was never a time when women weren't critical leaders in spreadingthe gospel. The next time you think about the early Church you'll remember to be thankful for critical financial support of women, for the courage of women who suffered martyrdom, for the courage of women who stood up to the powers and principalities of their time, for the courage of women who stood by the cross. And now you know the rest of the story of the Apostle to the Apostles appointed by the Jesus Himself, Mary Magdalene. Amen.

Hull strawberries on May 17th, bake shortcakes on May 18th, and help with hot dogs, setup, serving, and kids' activities on May 19th for the All-Church Picnic and Strawberry Festival on 92nd Street! Join us for music, food, and community fun after worship. Save the date and join the excitement! Click here to volunteer and email Amy McDonald (mcdonald.amy.k@gmail.com) with any questions!

I have said these things to you while I am still with you. But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything, and remind you of all that I have said to you.  John 14:25-26 On October 11th a barkeep faced a judgement to pay the debts of his former partner or face liquidation of all the rest of his personal property. The barkeep unfamiliar with the law reluctantly agreed. He vowed never to get involved in such a business deal again. The next January this former partner passed away and this barkeep was saddled with even more debt! The amount was equivalent to $100,000! He argued that he was only a partner a few weeks before he sold his shares and that numerous lawsuits had depleted the business’ finances. The judge was unimpressed and said he should never have been involved in such a risky adventure and furthermore he should know more about the law. And that is just what the barkeep did. (As told by Paul Harvey.) As Paul Harvey tells it: And two years later he passed the bar and entered into politics. “And now the next time you contemplate the war between the states; the next time, you reflect on the freeing on the slaves, the next time you hear the words four score and seven years ago I want you to remember a bumbling bartender in hoc up to his stove pipe hat, a barkeep named Abraham Lincoln! Now you know the rest of the story.”  (Paul Harvey, The Rest of the Story) Renowned broadcaster Paul Harvey’s The Rest of the Story aired for over 30 years sharing the untold stories which revealed fascinating details unknown to history. We are used to tales through history that build to a climax and end with the storybook wedding or a fantastic heroic battle but in truth there is always more. Long ago the story had ended in death, and it seemed to be an unfitting conclusion for the miracle worker who meant so much to the people. But it was not the end. Inexplicably the story continued. He rose again and started a whole new chapter, the original surprise sequel that would reverberate down in history. But apparently the Bible only captures the merest fraction of Jesus’ story. At the end of John’s gospel, we discover one of the most intriguing verses in all of scripture, “But there are also many other things that Jesus did; if every one of them were written down, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written.” (John 21:25) Imagine the rest of the stories we know nothing about. The number of people uplifted, the miracles that blessed the sick, the teachings that brought hope. But the spread of Christianity is not only about Jesus. Upon His resurrection He sent the Holy Spirit to His disciples and commands them literally to go into the world teaching and baptizing. Up until now they had no real inkling of Jesus’ ultimate mission but at that moment, they realized the rest of the story would be told through them which eventually creates a movement much wider than the disciples ever conceived. So far, they had experienced healings, sermons, miracles, internal religious strife, foolish arguments about place in the kingdom, a short sword fight, fear and a terrible death, but it was all contained in a small region of the world; and the message had a narrow application to them and theirs. But upon His resurrection Jesus gives the final instructions that this is not only for us but everyone! The whole world. And then ‘poof’ He disappears, leaving it in their hands. From reading the rest of the Bible, such as the Acts of the Apostles and the various letters to churches,we are left with the impression of a fairly successful movement but not one that you would have expected to become the worldwide force and presence it is today. In those letters in the Acts of the Apostles we see so many internal squabbles we see some vibrant communities, but ones that are a few dozen or perhaps a few 100 at most. Scripture gives us no hints of how the rest of this story is going to unfold as it does today with 1 billion Catholics, hundreds of millions of orthodox Christians, hundreds of millions of Protestants, countless number of lives transformed, of hope found. How we go from this provincial movement to something that changes an entire planet, largely it is due to the untold story, the rest of the story of the disciples lives after Jesus gives them this Commission at the end of Matthew. The disciples were not convinced at the outset that this was their mandate. Peter fights against a vision of a sheet coming down from heaven with live animals on it meant to teach him that God's will and Jesus’ love is meant for all people. And it takes Cornelius, a Roman soldier, who's enlightened by the Spirit of God and the truth found in Scriptures to finally convince Peter that Jesus means for him to help this movement grow. It takes Paul, being struck on the road to Damascus, stricken blind but not stricken down, to turn away from his murderous ways into the greatest evangelist the world has ever known. The disciples realize it is up to them to spread the good news to the four corners of the earth. Imagine for a moment you are one of these disciples. This miracle working Nazarene,who’s teaching about love and servanthood and humility and God and ourselves, dies, is resurrected, gives you a task, and then disappears from the face of the planet. And you know that your fellow disciples are perhaps no more capable, courageous, or equipped to take on the WORLD! So how do you and your friends react? Well, their path sounds like that of a bunch of fraternity boys that can't think of anything better; they essentially rolled dice to see who is going to go where! But the rest of the story is the story we don’t find in Scripture, is that of the apostles obeying Jesus’ command with absolutely mind-blowing determination, faith, courage, and devotion. You and I have a hard enough time setting across a trip to the Atlantic, hopping on a plane to get to London in a few hours. Imagine the drive that it took that disciples to go into new places well beyond their homes to share this good news of the gospel. In the Acts of the Apostles, the Bible only captures merest fractions of their travels to spread the good news throughout the earth. So, this Eastertide we will explore the rest of the story for several of Jesus’ disciples and friends. And today we begin with everyone’s favorite disciple, Thomas! Like Abraham Lincoln, the so-called bumbling bartender, Thomas’s final path could not have been seen from his beginnings. He questioned Jesus’ promise that Jesus would take them to the heavenly kingdom, and he famously refused to believe his eyes upon seeing the risen Christ; he insists on putting his hand in Jesus’ wounds. But there is an ancient text dating back somewhere in the early two hundreds of an account of Thomas’ missionary endeavors. Thomas drew the India lot and even received instructions from Jesus in a dream to go there. Thomas objected, claiming ill health and the impossible language and cultural barriers. But Jesus appears to a merchant named Abban and sells Thomas to him, upon which Thomas goes willingly. Two thousand years later in India there are 26 million Christians, and they are seeking to shape their country into one welcoming for all people. India, like all vast countries, has much to be proud of and also much that challenges it to be a just society. Tragically, India today is arguably the country with the most child slaves in the world. There are Indian Christian organizations working tirelessly with support from around the world to stop child slavery. And as our country still grapples with the effects of slavery, India still struggles with the ancient discrimination of Dalit’s, the people previously known as outcastes or untouchables, the names which in themselves convey a world of oppression. I knew a Dalit Catholic priest, Benjamin Chinnapin, who shared with me some of the challenges Christians and especially Dalit Christians face in India. They are not allowed to have funeral parades on the same street as other Indians. This is no minor squabble. Dalit mourners were slaughtered on the street, so Benjamin and others like him fight for equal protection under the law for all Dalits. Within India there are mixed feelings about Christians, but it is a source of pride for many. The former Indian president, Rajendra Prasud, said in a speech on St. Thomas’s Day in New Delhi: St Thomas came to India when many countries in Europe had not yet become Christian; and so those Indians that trace their Christianity back to him have a longer history and a higher ancestry than the Christians of many European countries do; and it is really a matter of pride to us that it so happened. Discovering precisely how Thomas shared the good news is inspiring. The merchant Abban whom Jesus appeared to was looking for a carpenter to work for an Indian king, Gondophares. Once [Thomas] arrives in the city, Gondophares assigns Thomas to build him a palace outside the city gates. Thomas agrees, but instead of using the money to build the palace, he gives it away to the poor and afflicted. Gondophares, furious when he heard how Thomas used the money, casts him in prison, contemplating how he would kill him. That very night the king’s brother Gad died and was taken by an angel to see the palace Thomas had built in heaven. Gad was allowed to return to life the next day and tell his brother all he had seen. As a result, both Gondophares and Gad sought the forgiveness of Thomas, and decide also to follow the Lord. Thomas travels to another land, and after preaching, casting out demons, and performing miracles, he is eventually thrown in prison by king Misdaeus (Mizdai) [for converting his multiple wives). Thomas prays as he is escorted to his death by four guards who kill him with spears.* Though the historic nature of Thomas’ journeys is clouded by time, the ancient venerable history of the Church in India is indisputable. So next time you contemplate the presence of Christianity around the globe, the next time you think about 2 billion Christians around the globe, I want you to remember a fumbling disciple reluctant to leave his home for a land called India. I want you to remember the world's most famous doubter who became a martyr of the faith, which eventually created one of the most ancient and venerable churches on all the planet, which today continues to fight for justice and God's love for all. And now you know the rest of the story! Amen. * https://seanmcdowell.org/blog/did-the-apostle-thomas-die-as-a-martyr#google_vignette

The Brick Church Women’s Association funds a scholarship program to assist Church members and Church staff, with financial help for an accredited degree granting program. The grants are “quality of life” scholarships, given to help with the cost of items such as books, fees and transportation. All applications will be considered and information is confidential. Grants are not automatically renewed. If you have received a scholarship in the past, you must reapply by the deadline in order to be considered for the 2024-25 year.  The deadline for completed applications is May 7th.  To request an application from the Women’s Association office, and to submit the form (no later than May 7th), please email  WAScholarship@brickchurch.org or complete the confidential form here . Artwork by Joni McKown Art.

I have said these things to you while I am still with you. But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything and remind you of all that I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid. - John 14:25-27 NRSV Paul Harvey had a radio show from 1976 to 2009 where he shared interesting facts about famous people, famously signing off with, "And now you know the rest of the story." The great delight of his storytelling was in learning something new about these amazing people whom we thought we knew so well. For instance, while it's common knowledge that Milton Hershey is one of the world's most successful chocolatiers, Paul Harvey tells us that Hershey found success after failing to manufacture and sell caramels in Philadelphia, Chicago, Denver, New Orleans, and New York. Financially broke and broken-hearted, with only a 4th-grade education, Hershey tried once more to create confections, this time in his hometown of Pennsylvania, and became one of the world's most successful entrepreneurs and philanthropists. In this Eastertide narrative, we're going to delve into the stories of the disciples. While we may be familiar with the story of Thomas doubting Jesus, the rest of his narrative is one of adventure, courage, faith, perseverance, and self-sacrifice. Thanks to Thomas' missionary zeal, there exists an ancient church in India dating back to a few decades after the life of Christ. There are countless stories like this—not only about the disciples but also about what God is currently doing in the world. Similarly, Scripture says, "all the things Jesus did cannot be contained in this book" (John 21:25). What we discover is that people and God's world are more fascinating, intriguing, and compelling than we could ever realize at first glance. Though the Bible is a completed text, the ongoing story of what God is accomplishing is being narrated by faithful people today. The resurrected Christ continues to work in powerful and incredible ways beyond our comprehension. Uncovering these stories emboldens us to act on our convictions that God will work in and through us toward the Lord's vision of peace and light. What is the rest of the story of what Jesus is doing in our world, that it can't be contained in all the books in the world? The story is still being written... Prayer of Confession Lord, too often we see dead-ends and hopeless situations. We fail to believe in Your power to transform our lives and the world. So we hunker down to protect ourselves while neglecting the needs of our neighbor. But Your resurrection assures us that there is always more to the story and through Your disciples we see that hope continues through our lives. Embolden us to witness Your love with the courage of the disciples and give us the mettle to go forth as they did living Your love, seeking Your grace, and offering Your forgiveness, in Jesus' name.

I came that they may have live, and have it abundantly. John 10:10 Throughout these past weeks we have been exploring the great challenges that confront us in the headline news: intolerance, politics, violence, poverty, the plight of children, estrangement, and all too often they find their most tragic culmination in an untimely, cruel an unjust death. It is why it is so hard for us to read these headlines because the endings are too often filled with despair and sadness with the sense that evil can win. It was how the story concluded for this Nazarene who had begun a movement to seek to address these same challenges in His world 2,000 years ago. It ended the way all of these stories seem to end with a person of great moral being killed through the collusion of corrupt powers seeking to destroy the one who sought to wrest their stranglehold over the people. It ended with His disciples scattering; fearing for their lives. It ended with the women He loved weeping at the cross and then solemnly sitting at the tomb, disconsolate and broken. And yet, and yet, this time, this one time, this one time in all of history the story did not end in death! And so today on this day of resurrection we discover Jesus’ all-encompassing answer to the headline news… life, but not just any old life – abundant life! Which means much more than it seems to at first. In fact, the concept of life is of primary concern to John’s gospel. Life is one of John’s characteristic concepts. He uses the term 36 times, whereas no other New Testament writing has it more than 17 times …Thus in this one writing there occur more than a quarter of all the New Testament references to life. (John, page 82, The New International Commentary on the New Testament). Furthermore “life” has layers of meaning in the Greek. There is bios, which characterizes all life, including the microbe and us. Words such as biology are derived from this root. Next is psuché which refers to the life of the soul, the mind, and the will, that which makes a person unique. From this root words such as psychology derive. But neither bios nor psuché is the life that Jesus offers. An ancient tale describes an encounter between a Roman soldier and Julius Caesar. The soldier’s life is utterly bereft of meaning and he asks Caesar permission to kill himself; he lacks any vitality or sense of purpose. Caesar looks at him whilst saying, “Were you ever really alive?” In a sense Caesar is saying this soldier had only lived bios, a mere physical existence, but nothing more. The hole in this soldier’s heart and the hole in our hearts spring from a realization. Animals feel pain; they don’t feel existential agony. This agony is a painful awareness that we are meant for more than bios or even psuché. We are meant for zoe; the third and highest form of life in Greek thought. Zoe refers to the eternal life of God. John also uses this word to describe the essential character of Jesus’ existence; zoe is the divine spark God wove into the human creature at creation. * Critically, it is the type of life that Jesus died and rose again to restore to us which He tells us in John 10:10; “I came that you might have zoe, and have it abundantly.”  When the Bible describes eternal life, it is zoe not bios that is promised! It is a life in which the awe of existence pours from our hearts like that of the great poets. The world is charged with the grandeur of God. – Gerard Manley Hopkins You may write me down in history With your bitter, twisted lies, You may trod me in the very dirt But still, like dust, I'll rise. – Maya Angelou Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?” – Mary Oliver “Life is beauty, admire it…Life is too precious, do not destroy it” – att. Mother Teresa This is the gift that Jesus bestows upon us, not just existence but superabundant life. Like the disciples though this zoe can be clouded from our vision. The tragedies are real and devastating, which makes it harder to see the signs all around us. The signs for Mary Magdalene were right in front of her; literally Jesus was staring her in the face, but she could not see Him. Jesus told the disciples the signs; He would be betrayed; He would be buried three days; at the Last Supper He warned them times would be hard; but it would be through these hard times that the promise of superabundant life would come to all. Having eyes and ears awake to the signs can help us to find hope and even joy. Some years back when the devastating tsunami struck the shores of India (amongst other places) there was a people, the Moken, who still live off the land the way their ancestors have for thousands of years, out on the water, who knew the signs and rowed to safety. They did not spot a massive wave and head for the hills. Instead, they noticed rolling waves in the midst of the ocean that barely disturbed their boats. You and I would have ignored it, but they knew it for what it was. They also knew there was no time to row to shore and head for the hills. So, they went the exact opposite direction instinct would dictate. They rowed for deeper waters. And in those deeper waters the tsunami could not build to sufficient height and power to threaten them, and all the Moken’s survived that day. Our ability to see the signs have been clouded by the headline news and it can be especially hard to see them; when life strikes us like Mary, who is almost inconsolable, we want to shrink from our faith and console ourselves with fond memories and let go of our trust. Trustdoes not come by sight, but by faith. The Moken did not see the tsunami, they only saw the signs. And John, the disciple whom Jesus loved, did not see Jesus, he only saw the burial clothes lying by themselves which was the sign he needed to believe; Jesus had risen! Like the Moken the call is to row deeper. You and I in the face of the resurrection can face any tsunamis life brings us through rowing deeper into our faith in God. That zoe, superabundant life, will come to all. This power Christ holds of life over death, of not only bios but zoe means a tremendous amount to me personally. For though my father, Robert Maxwell Evans, still has his BIOS, that is his physical existence here on earth, his ZOE has been stripped away by a terrible disease – Alzheimer’s. And I know many of you in this congregation know exactly what I'm talking about. How your parents or your friend or your spouse have also been robbed of their abundant life –that which makes life something more than the mere beating of a heart, but something profound and incredible and beautiful and unique and amazing and lovely. Those moments with my father on the golf course are gone forever. Those moments of debating liberation theology and Karl Barth have evaporated as his mind has been stolen. And it is so heartbreaking that I don’t even want to think about what is lost, but sometimes I cannot help myself and it simply overwhelms, and then I remember what my preacher-dad has taught me since I was very little — God wins! When he preached it, he would say, “Boom, there it is!” Just to be sure no one would miss the point. God wins! Zoe for all! Boom! There it is.

For God so loved the world that he gave his only son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but have eternal life. - John 3:16 The following was published last September referencing 22 years since 911: People at baseball games sang “God Bless America” with reverence. The national anthem meant something… Our family members had been slaughtered and now it was time to band together and kick some… How long did it last? A couple years, maybe, until we decided that our enemies were the same people we wrapped our arms around. We started eating ourselves from the inside out. And today, two days before the 22nd anniversary of that horrible day, we are as divided as a nation as we were in the days preceding the firing on Fort Sumter. Oh, there are no standing armies from a coalition of states battling another, but the battle lines are most certainly drawn. Twenty-two years after the most galvanizing act since the bombing of Pearl Harbor, which ushered the USA into World War II, we are a broken country. Not only are there no viable solutions, but there is no appetite to find any solutions. There is too much anger and hatred for our brothers and sisters. No family could survive what we are doing to ourselves.* It is a rather cynical assessment but clearly there is some truth to it. Knight Commission on Trust, Media and Democracy, trust in government is at historically low levels, with faith in businesses, nonprofits and the media having declined significantly “Crisis in Democracy: Renewing Trust in America”.** Fully 71% think interpersonal confidence has worsened in the past 20 years. And about half (49%) think a major weight dragging down such trust is that Americans are not as reliable as they used to be. (Pew Research, 2019) Two thirds of Americans are part of an “exhausted majority” who are tired of the “us vs them mindset and eager to find common ground.” Hidden Tribes: A Study of America’ Polarized Landscape”.*** To answer these problems of division Jesus gave His life. It is why He died. Jesus’ answer to these headlines is not only an answer for our country but an answer for everyone. Our problem of division, though worsened in past years, is the fundamental problem of humanity – estrangement from each other, from ourselves, and most of all from God. Jesus’ answer is reconciliation. As John tells us God “so loved the world” that the Son came down from heaven to heal the rift between God and humanity. As Ephesians tell us, “God is reconciling all things together through Christ.” (Ephesians 1:10) That is the good news that, as Christians, should make us ever hopeful and confident that this enmity will not last. Jesus is our savior but that is only His secondary purpose. He is not saving us to go back to the same life. He saves us that we might once again be in perfect harmony with God…forever. It is the gift of the Lord’s Prayer when He invites us to pray, “Our father.” This is an incredible gift. Jesus is The Son of the Father, but He adopts us to be a part of this holy and sacred unity. And as His disciples He tasks us with the joy of working this reconciliation with the world; to heal the rift. It begins with each of us working on our own personal relationships. Jesus commands, “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift.” (Matthew 5:23) Next, it not only means admitting our own wrongs but being willing to let go of our grievances against others. Remember, on this Palm Sunday Jesus received accolades of joy but only a few days later the crowd will be shouting “crucify Him.” He forgave them and we are told, “Forgive one another as the Lord has forgiven you.” The next step in reconciliation is to move to peace in society. As the church we have a special commission to work for the reconciliation of society. Paul’s letter to the Corinthian church was prompted by deep divisions within surrounding gender roles, leadership, disrespect for the poor, abuses of the Lord’s Supper and more. And to this Paul writes about Jesus’ work: All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. (2 Corinthians 5:18-21) We are ambassadors to the world because Jesus knew that He would be judged by the world by the behavior of His followers. After all, if the church is a “hot mess” why would anyone want to be a part of it? So He tells us, “The world will know you are my disciples by the love you have for one another.” He does not say by the sound doctrine you propound. The church all too often has been confused. We have thought our primary job is to hone our doctrine, disseminate belief, and train our children. All of these are our tasks, but it is not why Jesus founded this group. We are to be a community, a family, bound by God’s love, responding with joyous praise, empowered to witness to this love in the world; to be the body of Christ in the world. And today in order to examine more deeply our role God would have us to play in the world I want to go over some recent church history and use the church as an object lesson. I served as an Executive Presbyter in Birmingham, Alabama and Atlanta, Georgia during a time when our denomination was in the throes of working through ordination issues surrounding LGBTQ siblings in Christ. It was a terribly disheartening time in some ways and very hopeful in others. I remember Sessions, on advice of their lawyers, physically encircling their pastor so that I couldn't talk to them, and ironically, women thrusting their Bibles at me shouting that it's God's Word that tells us man is the head of his wife. And then I dealt with the same issues as pastor in Spartanburg, South Carolina. I remember an evening spending 4 1/2 hours with a dozen congregants examining me, grilling me, scolding me, weeping over my views of scripture. And I must say I relished those Biblical debates. Because inevitably they would cite a handful of passages from what we might consider obscure portions of scripture and say the Bible says it and so it's true! Remember this was Alabama, South Carolina, and Georgia (states and people I truly came to love) so I asked them (I probably should not have done this) what they thought about Leviticus 11:7, that tells us it is a sin to touch the skin of a dead pig, and that is exactly what our football players were doing every week, not to mention the scrumptious barbecue we ate at those same games. Unsurprisingly, that argument did not sway anyone. More seriously though I asked them what they believed scripture called them to do when they were in deep disagreement with their brothers and sisters in Christ. That if they believe the PC(USA) had strayed so far from God's Word, what guidance did God's Word give them? And it was clear that this question had never occurred to them. And then I shared the story of my grandfather. Back in the early 1900s he was a conservative Christian who believe that the PC(USA) had erred and strayed from the Bible and as a result he helped form a new denomination, the Orthodox Presbyterian Church, he served as president of their seminary in Philadelphia and was a leader for 20 years in that movement. But he became disillusioned, he saw this newfound denomination that sought to be a more pure form of Christ’s Church split two more times. And then he opened the Bible to try and answer the exact question that I had asked the fellow members of my church – what does the Bible teach us to do when we disagree with each other? And it actually has a lot to say. It teaches us in those moments to mutually forebear one another, to not be too quick to judge each other, to speak the truth only in love, and that God is the one in the end who will judge and separate the wheat from the tare. That is not our task. The early churches to which Paul wrote were filled with conflictual people and he didn't teach them to separate from each other, he taught them to hang in together because God had put them there with one another for a reason. They had something to teach each other and that they needed to demonstrate to the world how it is you can work through deep and profound differences and still demonstrate respect and love for each other. Eventually many of those members and congregations left the PC(USA). And in some ways, it helped. It certainly reduced the conflict and it enabled members of our LGBTQ community to serve openly and without the constant barrage of judgment, scorn, and sometimes even worse things. And yet it saddened me greatly. It was heartbreaking for several reasons. One, I valued their presence. Though I vehemently disagreed with their reading of scriptures, I knew most of them to be people of good will that genuinely wanted to seek and do God's will. And I know that they had things to teach me about the faith even as I believe I had things to teach them. And I believed that if most of them had stayed in our community and our denomination that over time God would change their hearts. I believed it because a few decades before a similar conflict arose surrounding the question of women's ordination. And I saw how my pioneer mother, 50 years ago, claimed her pastoral authority as a servant of God, not through passionate debate around theology, but through devoted, faithful service to all people whether they be counted as friends or those on the other side of the ecclesiastical and political aisle. And it is her example, and my grandfather’s example, that have shown me the reconciling power of Christ’s love, and that if we try our very best even as we fail, indeed, the world will know Christ, by our love. And love is unconditional, “It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.” It is the love Jesus will show us as we journey through His betrayal, His sacrifice and His enduring triumph over the grave. Amen. *https://www.leader-call.com/opinion/editorials/our-view-can-anything-repair-a-fractured-nation/article_cede799a-4e69-11ee-b5a4-9f9986fa98c1.html **https://csreports.aspeninstitute.org/Knight-Commission-TMD/2019/report ***https://hiddentribes.us/pdf/hidden_tribes_report.pdf

Shared during Sunday Worship on March 17, 2024. God of peace and Lover of our souls, we lift up our voices to You for Your sustaining grace and power. In Your profound mercy, You have sustained our world, despite the discord and division in some communities and jurisdictionstoday. We join our faiths together and speak calm and healing over these contexts, especially the North Africa and the Middle East, Central Africa, Europe, and South Asia. We decree a silencing of firearms and artillery and declare the freeing of hostages, in Jesus’ name! ​God of justice, we lift up America before You. For actors from across the political spectrum, we ask for love for God and neighbor; for the media, we ask for bold and balanced reportage, and for law enforcement and the judicial authorities, we ask for fairness and right judgment. We also pray for this nation’s workforce, asking for efficiency and appropriate work-life balance. God, remember the poor, the widowed, the orphaned, the migrant, and the homeless and show us how to distribute our resources, so that nobody goes without. ​God of love, we bear our families and relationships up in prayer this morning. Where there is strife, bring sweetness; where there is lack, provide, where there is disease, heal, and where there is distress, give us rest. Infuse our very hearts with Your love, God, so that peace on earth may begin with us – from our homes to our communities to the ends of the earth. In Jesus’ name. Amen!

For God so loved the world that he gave his only son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but have eternal life. - John 3:16 A few months ago, my son Matthew and I were sitting in the kitchen over breakfast as I was scrolling through the news and reading him the headlines. “Serial Killer Found Nabbed in Long Island.” “Shooting Kills Four at Party in Houston.” “Viral Video Shows Cops Attack Unarmed Man.” “Man on the Run Kills Four, Including a Mother, Her Child and a Policemen.” Without looking up from his phone Matt said, “Stop doom scrolling, Dad. They’re just baiting you.” I had never heard the phrase, but I immediately knew what he meant. Each article clicked on felt like another layer of doom. I know there is a heaviness in my heart and many of yours. We have to take the news in small doses or else the doom and evil present in the world overwhelms us. The reality of war in the Ukraine and Israel, mass shootings in this country, chaos in Haiti, kidnapping of 300 children in Nigeria sears our souls. We can scarcely imagine what leads people to commit such horrors. It can be so debilitating that we can be forgiven for thinking we are in the worst of times. But the reality is that, according to evolutionary psychologist Steven Pinker, “…violence has declined sharply since the birth of the human race…Compared to our hunter-gatherer days, or the Middle Ages, our chances of dying by violent crime or as the result of war are miniscule.” In fact, in some ways the very fact that we are so appalled by violence as a means to an end is great progress. As Dr. Pinker observed, “Our awareness of the rest of the world -- greater now than ever before -- cultivates empathy and makes us more likely to help than hurt other populations.” And I believe this is due in no small part to Jesus’ answer the age-old headline of hatred, violence, and war, “turn the other cheek.” Jesus taught us to not respond to violence with violence but peace. He taught us to see anyone and everyone as your neighbor, even your enemy. He showed us how to forgive; He taught us how to defeat evil, not through the strength of our arms but the depth of our sacrifice and love. Jesus, who lived in a world filled with violence, had more than lofty goals. He gives us concrete commands. He had a very specific pattern for teaching about and responding to acts of violence. When Jesus unfurled the scroll of Isaiah amongst others, He chose to read the words, “Set the prisoners free.” I don’t imagine Jesus simply had the idea that we should literally open the doors of all the prisons. Rather, set them free. There is evidence that incarceration is strongly correlated to poverty. We know Jesus worked to bring good news to the poor, and part of this good news was to free them from the debilitating effects of poverty, which can lead to desperate acts. Last month there was a discussion at the U.N., “A Human Dignity and Faith Perspective on the Eradication of Poverty as one of the Main Root Causes of Incarceration in the World”. Here is a description of that event: Each of the speakers spoke from their perspective to a filled-to-the-maximum audience of professionals in this area, about how so much of crime is rooted in the effects of poverty, and racism, on people and society – little or no access to medical and mental health care, unsafe neighborhoods, substandard schools / education, poor housing conditions, lack of jobs, the list is long. Many people who find themselves in the carceral system were failed by society long before they ever committed a crime. Brick members were at this event. Brick Church is working to combat poverty which prayerfully will work to curb the environments which foster violence. It means bringing dignity to all people no matter their station in life. It means helping to create pathways for people to experience hope in the bleakest of places. And yet, clearly there is more to the cause of violence than poverty and more to Jesus’words than iron bars. Setting free means so much more. Jesus had followers who wanted a violent uprising, but His goal was not to establish a political realm but a heavenly kingdom shaped realm. It would not come through laws and procedures but by love and sacrifice. At that conference on incarceration, they observed that prisons with a faith element exceeded others in reducing recidivism. Jesus taught disciples to stop the cycle of violence and forgive. In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus’ famously challenges us, “You have heard that it was said, “An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.” But I say to you, do not resist an evildoer. But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also.” Let me begin unpacking this verse by making something clear, Jesus does not intend these words to allow an abuser to continue abusing another. It is not a universal principle. Rather He means to expand our notions of justice. And eye for an eye sounds harsh but at its inception, thousands of years ago, known as lex talions it was an improvement. If you were a rich landowner and your servant stole a loaf of bread you could cut off his hand. An eye for an eye moved the world into greater equality. But Jesus’ followers have a greater responsibility to end the spiral. Turning the other cheek not only stems the violence, it confronts the aggressor with a new way of responding. Thus, Jesus tells Peter at his arrest: "Put your sword back into its place; for all who take the sword will perish by the sword. Do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and he will at once send me more than twelve legions of angels? But how then would the scriptures be fulfilled, which say it must happen in this way?" It’s a rather curious phrase Jesus used in referring to the crucifixion, “It must happen this way.” Why must it? Why must Jesus die a violent death? It sounds as one theologian explained, “…that God the father, is the supernatural shylock demanding a pound of flesh.”  This could not be further from the truth. Rather, it must happen because Jesus truly believed in turning the other cheek. Jesus knew that if He kept speaking the truth people would kill Him. And He was not going to stop speaking the truth. He could not run forever. For His plan was to change us within, to change our love for violence with love of others. I have referenced it many times and I will reference it again. Mark’s gospel tells us that upon Jesus’ death, His murderer and His enemy, a centurion guard, declared, “Truly this man was God’s son.” That guard found God in Jesus’ sacrifice of love. It changed his heart. Turning the other cheek was not mere strategy. It is an act of love. While there are social factors that need to be addressed, ultimately all violence has its root in a spiritual deficit, either within individuals or within society. In response to 911, Rabbi Michael Lerner, editor of Tikkun, wrote these words, which still apply today: When violence becomes so prevalent throughout the planet, it's too easy to simply talk of "deranged minds." We need to ask ourselves, "What is it in the way that we are living, organizing our societies, and treating each other that makes violence seem plausible to so many people?" We may tell ourselves that the suffering of refugees and the oppressed have nothing to do with us--that that's a different story that is going on somewhere else. But we live in one world, increasingly interconnected with everyone, and the forces that lead people to feel outrage, anger and desperation eventually impact on our own daily lives. It’s true, but not enough, to say that the current violence is a reflection of our estrangement from God. More precisely, it is the way we fail to respond to each other as embodiments of the sacred. When we look into the eyes and another and see the face of God no matter how dim its presence is, we can only respond with love. On September 6, 2018, in Dallas, Texas, a Caucasian police officer, Amber Guyer, was returning to her apartment when she found what she believed to be an intruder. In the dark and in fear, she murdered Botham Jean, an unarmed Afro-Caribbean man from the Island of St. Lucia. Only it wasn’t her apartment. It was his. Hers was three floors directly above. At her trial, Botham’s brother, 18-year-old Brandt Jean, said these words to his brother’s killer for all the world to see: … I love you just like anyone else. And I'm not gonna say I hope you rot and die just like my brother did but I presently want the best for you. And I wasn't going to ever say this in front of my family or anyone, but I don't even want you to go to jail. I want the best for you, because I know that's exactly what Botham would want you to do. And the best would be to give your life to Christ. I'm not going to say anything else. I think giving your life to Christ would be the best thing that Botham would want you to do. Again I love you as a person and I don't wish anything bad on you. I don't know if this is possible, but can I give her a hug, please? Please? And then, unbelievably, the two embraced, their eyes filled with tears, for a full minute. When we respond to violence through turning the other cheek it fills us with God’s love, like it did with Brandt Jean. And when that love touches others we pray it does the same, like we pray it changed Amber Guyer. And we trust that the path of Christ is the path that leads to peace within our hearts and for the world. Amen.