Last week seemed to be a marathon of shootings, bombings,
hateful Facebook postings, and other conflicts. In addition to the media’s announcing
that everyone hated everyone else, I had several close friends who were dealing
with depression, hurt from family problems, and a myriad of disappointments. By
Sunday I was rather down. You can take only so much of this before you let it
get to you.
Then came Sunday, and Harry Rowland preached a wonderful
sermon entitled “Grace: It’s a Really BIG Deal,” and I felt a little better. If
you didn’t hear it, I highly recommend that you go to www.fbcrome.org and listen to it!
After some debating about attending a Sunday evening
service at Thankful Baptist Church, I decided to go. I was told it was a service
of remembrance for some of the victims of recent shootings. It was a sort of
interfaith service, with several protestant churches participating. Bill and I
arrived early and sat near the front because he had been asked to read scripture.
During the service, we sat together, black and white
church members, black and white ministers, and at least one policeman. We
listened to a trio of ladies sing praise
songs and then listened to the reading of scripture. A white policeman who is
also a minister stood and told the congregation of mostly black men and women
that he was sincerely sorry that people in his profession had caused harm to innocent
young black men and asked for forgiveness. Then he mentioned the senseless
killing of the policemen and committed himself to forgive those who committed
those crimes. He then read the names of young black men who had been killed by
policemen and policemen who had been killed by young black men. We then took communion
together.
There was a “sweet, sweet spirit” in that place. I was ready for a new week! Thanks to Dr.
Young (Thankful), Pastor Goode (Kingdom International), Pastor Shaun Davis (The
Place), Rev. Bill Davies (First Baptist), Rev. Ingram (Lovejoy), and Rev. Craig
McDonald (First Christian) for organizing and leading this meaningful service.
"Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can
do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that."
--Martin Luther King, Jr. A Testament
of Hope: The Essential Writings and Speeches
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