A Word from Pastor Nathan

When did you first hear the name John Lewis? Perhaps you remember when he stood alongside the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and was the youngest speaker at the March on Washington. Maybe you watched Lewis lead a perilous march across the Edmund Pettus bridge on “Bloody Sunday.” I learned of John Lewis, not in school, but in church. When I lived in the Texas Panhandle, I “streamed” church services (before it was cool). One Sunday, Congressman Lewis was the guest preacher at Cathedral of Hope in Dallas, Texas.

The representative’s sermon was rousing. Though I viewed the service from a geographical distance, he had me on my feet, standing in front of my computer. I wondered why I had never heard of this one who was called the “conscience of the United States Congress.” After his sermon, I followed Congressman Lewis’ speeches and interviews. I remember watching, too, when he crossed the Edmund Pettus bridge on the 55th anniversary of the original march. Yesterday, I stood at my computer when his flag -draped casket crossed the iconic bridge.

In June 2018, Rep. Lewis said, “Do not get lost in a sea of despair. Be hopeful, be optimistic. Our struggle is not the struggle of a day, a week, a month, or a year, it is the struggle of a lifetime. Never, ever be afraid to make some noise and get in good trouble, necessary trouble.” These words remind me of another prophet, also of dark skin, but from Palestine, 2000 years ago. Jesus got into “good trouble, necessary trouble.” He didn’t seek trouble; trouble found him because the gospel-good news he publicly proclaimed and demonstrated troubled the empire.

What would happen if we were a church of “good trouble, necessary trouble?” We don’t seek trouble; trouble will find us because the gospel -good news we publicly proclaim and demonstrate still troubles empires. How can a church of good and necessary trouble help usher in the reign of God on earth? Jesus says, “Bring good news to the poor, proclaim release to the imprisoned, aid those who cannot see, let the oppressed go free, and proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” We have a pattern for such “troubling” work in both Jesus and Rep. Lewis.

May we be the Church that follows their courageous, prophetic example.