Wake up Call: Hip Hop and the Black Church

I was blessed with the opportunity to write a book review for the Howard Journal of Communication on the book Wake Up: Hip Hop Christianity and the Black Church by Cheryl A. Kirk-Duggan and Marlon Hall.  The Hip Hop community and the Black Church communities are often speaking different languages.  Whether we admit it or not, we've become ok with this arrangement.

How that works out is that this generation sees the church as uncaring and irrelevant and the church sees the hip hop generation as ungrateful and irresponsible.  I'm grateful for this valiant attempt at bridging these gaps.  You can read the preview of my review below and access the full copy online.  

Lord, please help us to be 

your eyes, ears, and heart in this world.  

Help us to see what you see, 

hear what you hear, 

and feel what you feel.  

When we see sagging pants, 

let us see Christ's drooping robe.  

When we hear thumping beats, 

let us hear lamentations and jubilee.  

When we witness pain, 

let us feel 

a call to action

and not to judgment.

Nodding,
j.a.g.

Can We Take Holy Communion Online?: Pt. 3 (Mystery)

This is the third of three posts answering the question posed in the title.  The other posts deal with community and history.  

---------------------

MYSTERY   mysterium (or sacramentum)

“What I have written is but a fleeting intimation of the outside of what one man sees ...No one shares the secret of a life; no one enters into the heart of the mystery.” - Howard Thurman

In any Christian church, Catholic or Protestant, conservative or liberal, Reformed or Evangelical, there are at least two sacraments or ordinances: they are Baptism and Holy Communion.  In fact, the word sacramentum (from which the word sacrament comes) in the Greek comes from the word mysterion or mystery.  The very definition reminds us that we don't completely understand what is happening when we participate in Holy Communion.  

Holy Communion/The Lord's Supper/Eucharist is a divine cliffhanger - it's a time we  remember and anticipate the Lord's return.  My Baptist theology teacher, Curtis Freeman, has some really poignant thoughts about the Lord's Supper.  He says that when it is happening, "There is more going on ...than meets the eye."  He also says "this can't be something that we do, but it has to be something that God does."  Others throughout the Christian tradition have remarked about the "Holy Mystery" of communion.

So, what is the final answer???



Yes we can.  I have to say that my initial uncertainty has been eased by God's habit of using things we think aren't worthy to reach us.  If God can use a donkey, a fish, a book, bread, wine, and even a rock, surely He can use a camera, a computer, and an internet signal.  In fact, a small community of believers have agreed to trust God and gather for a "virtual communion" this Sunday.  We're excited about what God has in store for us as we steward this mystery. (I Cor. 4:1)

The gospel was never meant to be a novelty or flavor of the month.  It will outlast YouTube, Skype, and Google; it's power and influence will not implode like the .com bubble...  

But it was never meant to be a relic either.  It is alive, energized by the words of Jesus Christ and the witness of the Holy Spirit to be relevant in the world yesterday, today, and forever.

Please pray with us as we remember Christ through Holy Communion.  When God's people come together with Him as the focus, anything can happen.

God, you are able to do exceeding, abundantly, above all we can think, ask, or imagine.  Your Words are elusive, but they are real.  Let this bread and cup knit us together as it did Your followers.  Let it heal our illnesses, shape our character, and strengthen our faith.  We long to live for You beyond what we've seen.  Help us to keep looking to the hills from where our help comes.  We will be mindful to give you the praise.  Always.  In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  Amen.



Open,
j.a.g.



--------------------------------------------
I Corinthians 4:1
This, then, is how you ought to regard us: as servants of Christ and as those entrusted with the mysteries God has revealed.