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Last Saturday, Heather and I attended an event at Seattle Town Hall, hosted by Valley and Mountain United Methodist Church and First UMC, Seattle, called Faith in the Time of Monsters. The event featured the worship band, Rev. Sekou and the Freedom Fighters, from Valley and Mountain, led by their pastor Rev. Osagyefo Sekou, as well as a spoken word artist Stacyann Chin, and keynote speaker Dr. Cornell West. Members of the board at Valley and Mountain moderated and helped to facilitate the four hours we had in each other’s company. The premise of the evening was to come together to access resources from our faith to fortify each other’s courage for living in today’s world, which has forces acting in it that were described like monsters. The monsters that were named included evil, greed, refusing to acknowledge or help those in need, and the forces of empire that seek to accumulate power in the hands of the few.

The evening started with Rev. Sekou and the Freedom Fighters teaching us to sing, “I woke up this morning with my eyes on freedom and I am not turning back” and “I don’t know what you can do, but I can raise my voice.” The music the band makes has been described as a combination of Arkansas Delta Blues, Memphis Soul, 1970s funk, and Gospel. What I experienced was that it was impossible to stay sitting down during the music. The diverse attendees in the room numbered several hundred who came together through music, recognizing the Spirit among us, uniting us in purpose and in faith.

After the band, Stacyann Chin performed two of her poems, the first an ode to the Bible, which was written that day. In introducing that first poem, she described the Bible as the “sexiest telenovela I ever heard of.” She noted that the stories in the Bible are timeless and true, affirming the God-given dignity and image of God in every person. She was compelling and powerful and glorious.

Then, Dr. West’s remarks were delivered without notes in his marvelous way of recounting historical anecdotes, personal connections, and faithful encouragement. Some of the quotes that most touched me from his talk were:

  • Music is not ornamental or decorative. It is constituent to who I am.
  • Empire has self-destruction built in and will always fail.
  • Maybe we can create thicker moments of healing and joy so the wretched of the earth can experience them.
  • If you are following Jesus and people are patting you on the back and giving you prizes, you know something is wrong.
  • We’ve got a love that the world didn’t give us and the world can’t take away.
  • Be a realist with a pessimist tendency. Say, ‘pessimist, you have some strong points and there’s something bigger than you. You aren’t taking into account the music and the love.’
  • When we Christians are at our best, here comes the love. Here comes the joy. Here comes the healing.
  • Leave tonight fortified to be courageous.

I share these memories with you, that you might experience a little of that fortification. I hope that you can imagine what’s possible when people of faith begin to create moments of healing and joy and share them with others. I challenge us to gather with common purpose in our worship and in classes and small groups and rehearsals and meetings and on Zoom and when we do, to listen for the Spirit singing courage and love and joy and courage to and in us. For the Spirit is has what we need for just this moment.