6/13/2021 | Trinity UCC Sermon Only | Rev. Dr. Otis Moss III

0:13 Now, I don't do shout outs here at Trinity, but if I did, I'd have to shout out someone who is about to have a birthday. One of the smoothest people we know. Now, I did shout out Mr. Shelby the other Sunday. He turned 93. But this gentleman is about to turn 99 and is still one of the smoothest people you will ever meet. custom suits and has one of the smoothest walks you will ever see. I've never seen someone who can be so bad with a cane in my life. His name is Mr. Eddie. I am smooth as it comes. Rollins turns 99 years young this week. We celebrate our brother. I believe back in the day Mr. Rollins was actually John Schaaf.

1:12 I really believe, I believe he might've been John Schaaf back in the day because he is a bad brother. Shut your mouth. He is a bad brother. And so we wish him happy birthday, 99 years young. Your Trinity family loves you and we thank God for you and continue to be so fresh and so clean. Let us at this moment go to the Lord in prayer as we prepare to enter the Word of God and examine what God has placed upon our spirit to examine on this the Lord's day. Let us pray.

1:55 Search me, O God, and know my heart. Try me and see if there is any destructive way in me. When you discover what does not belong in me, remove it from me and cast it into the sea of forgetfulness. Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in thy sight. O Lord, you are my strength, and without a doubt, you are certainly my Redeemer. Holy Spirit, do thy will, do thy will, Holy Spirit, in the mighty, magnificent, and awesome name of Jesus we pray, and the people of God who love God may say, Amen. Before we enter into the Word of God, I want to remind everyone, stick around for the end of worship, because I will be announcing the date, the time, that we will be entering back into live worship here at Trinity United Church of Christ.

3:00 So don't turn off the stream. I've got to make that announcement for you before you leave worship today. But I want to invite everyone to join me in looking at chapter 8 in the book of Acts, beginning with verse 26. This has been a wonderful journey that we have been going on, looking at the book of Acts and what it says to us as people of faith, and specifically the church. This series, we have been looking at the truth about the church. Acts chapter 8, beginning with verse 26. I want us to look at the New Revised Standard Version. And it begins this way, verse 26. Then an angel of the Lord said to Philip, Get up and go toward the south, to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.

3:57 This is a wilderness road. So he got up and went. Now there was an Ethiopian eunuch. Another translation, the OM3 translation, now there was an African, a court official of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, in charge of her entire treasury. Another translation could read an African, a court official of Candace, the queen of Ethiopians, the secretary of treasury in charge of all the money. He had come to Jerusalem to worship and was returning home seated in his chariot. He was reading the prophet Isaiah.

4:52 Then the spirit said to Philip, go over to this chariot and join it. So Philip ran up to it and heard him reading the prophet Isaiah. He asked, do you understand what you are reading? He replied, how can I unless someone guides me? And he invited Philip to get in and sit beside him. Now, the passage of scripture that he was reading was this. Like a sheep, he was led to the slaughter and like a lamb, silent before its shearer. So he does not open his mouth. In his humiliation, justice was denied him. Who can describe his generation? for his life is taken away from the earth.

5:49 The eunuch, the African, the Ethiopian, asked Philip, about whom, may I ask you, does the prophet say this? About himself or someone else? And then Philip began to speak. Starting with this scripture, he proclaimed to him, the African, the good news about Jesus. As they were going along the road, they came to some water and the African, the eunuch, said, Look here, here is water. What is to prevent me from being baptized? He commanded the chariot to stop and both of them, Philip and the African, the Ethiopian, went down into the water and Philip baptized him. When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away.

6:48 The African saw him no more. The Ethiopian saw him no more. The eunuch saw him no more and went on his way rejoicing. May the Lord add a blessing to the reading and hearing of God's holy word. I want to continue our conversation, this series entitled The Truth About the Church. And I want to look at this idea of an African who shaped our faith. An African who shaped our faith. I would invite you to pray with me as we present this word on today.

7:36 It was years ago. I had the privilege of hearing a scholar, a brilliant scholar, no longer with us by the name of Ivan Van Sertema. His most well-known publication was titled, They Came Before Columbus. the African presence in the Americas. In this book, he argues Africans spent time in the Americas trading with indigenous nations on what we call South, Central, and parts of North America, also known as Mexico. Then I had this opportunity to hear Van Sertum a lecture in Atlanta, Georgia. It was a blessing, as I mentioned, and it was powerful, but it also was something that spoke to my spirit that to this day, I still remember his words.

8:39 His groundbreaking lecture, for me, it was the first time that I heard him, Sertima made a statement that he said that especially in the Americas, especially those people of African descent, that we are trapped by what is known as a 400-year gaze. Our world is limited by only viewing history through the lens of 1619 and beyond, but we are unable to imagine a world prior to the transatlantic holocaust we call the Maaba. Our imagination has been disrupted, And I might add violated because we cannot envision people of African descent beyond the confines of this 400 year gaze. Let me argue my point with with the help of our media team. When you think of the image of a Palestinian or Jew or an Egyptian, the image of a person of African descent does not come to your imagination.

9:47 You still have, some of you still have the images of Charlton Heston haunting the collective of your subconscious. Let me show you some pictures of Palestinians who break the mold of our Hollywood fantasy. Do you see them? Let me show you. Look at these images of Jews from Ethiopia and Israel who do not have ancestry in Russia, Germany, or are connected in any way to the Ottoman Empire. Or how about the oldest ethnic group in the nation known as Egypt, who trace their ancestry all the way back to the oldest pharaoh by the name of Akhenaten, Narmer, and Ramesses, and trace their ancestry to the liberating Hebrew by the name of Moses. Do you see this? It was a person you know well by the name of Dr. Jeremiah A. Wright, who wrote a bestselling book years ago of sermons that he preached in this church on this topic titled Africans Who Shaped Our Faith. And this day, I invite you to go on a journey with me to discover an African who shaped our Christian faith so that we can learn the truth about the church.

11:17 Now, the scripture says that Philip, who is a believer, has been spreading the gospel and was instructed by God to walk the road from Jerusalem, the holy city, to Gaza. And the scripture states this right in verse 27. He met an Ethiopian who was an official in charge of the treasury working for the queen of Ethiopia. He was the secretary of treasury working for the queen of Ethiopia. Oh, put this down in your notebook. This is going to bless you if you want to know the truth about the church and see an African who shaped our faith. You have right here in scripture, an African working for a woman who runs the nation. You completely missed that right there.

12:11 People love to talk about black girl magic, but this is not something that is contemporary but something that has been happening throughout human history. You have a woman who is in charge of one of the most powerful nations on the planet, and you have a brother who is working for her who is in charge of all the money. Now, some of you are saying, I don't quite get this. You're saying here that this man is in charge of the money and this nation is one of the most powerful. Yes, historically it is, but you already know biblically. You don't even know what you're looking at biblically. Every time we tell the story of Jesus and the birth of Jesus, we talk about three wise men who come to visit Jesus. And what do they bring?

13:02 They bring gold, they bring incense, and they bring myrrh. And these things that we know as gold, incense, and myrrh, Where do they come from? That the depository of these particular resources come from Ethiopia. That is why when artists usually paint who the wise men are, they paint them as Ethiopians. Because like Georgia and peaches go together and California and grapes go together, gold, incense, and myrrh go together in reference to Ethiopia. We have a brother from Ethiopia who is well off, who works for a sister who is coming from Jerusalem. I absolutely love this. It gives you some truth that you did not even see. These wise men, as I mentioned, who were from Ethiopia or Nubia or Kemet.

13:59 And now we have a brother, don't know his name, but we know his job and his title, working for a sister who is in charge of everything. But please do not miss the beauty within this text and in this word that will make you shout. Yes, he's a brother who's got a job. Yes, he's a brother who's working for a sister. Yes, he is a brother who is the secretary of treasury, but he's an African Jew worshiping in Jerusalem. Let me help you out. If you are an observant Jew, you must take a pilgrimage to the holy city of Jerusalem. It says that he was leaving Jerusalem because he was there worshiping. The only person going to worship in Jerusalem is someone who is Jewish.

14:58 So we have an African Jew right in Scripture. Just as Muslims go to Mecca, Jews must go to Jerusalem. We have an Ethiopian Jew who is in Jerusalem worshiping. He is going on his pilgrimage to the holy city. And one must understand this. Because in our modern 400-year gaze, as Ivan Van Sertema has stated, that we think it is something unique if you see an African person in particular areas of the world. Or it is something unique if you see them as Hollywood would envision them in the ancient world. But you must understand, seeing African people, seeing black and brown people, was the norm and not the exception. This was not like in ancient Idaho or New Hampshire. This was the area known as Jerusalem. This was a space where people from around the world came, but specifically those who practiced Judaism, and they were black and brown. And we in this modern age, we have marginalized individuals who come from the place that we know as Ethiopia, Nubia, Kemet, Cyrene, Libya, or Hippo, these spaces that African people populated. And it was the norm to see them, not the exception. But let me help you out with this. Let me help you out with this. We see there's a brother who's working, a brother who is not just working, but a brother who has upper level management, who is the CFO, the COO, who's the secretary of treasury for an entire nation. Let me help you out again. He's an Ethiopian eunuch, meaning that he does

17:03 not fall into the particular sexual framework that everyone would say that he should fall into. He is a eunuch. He does not fall into the traditional framework of toxic masculinity. He comes in a different form. He might have been made a eunuch. He might have been born a eunuch, meaning that he was different. But in the words of Dr. Wright, he was not deficient. So we now have someone who is an African who also does not fall within the particular orientation and framework that people normally would see. But they put him in charge of everything because he's the most qualified and he's working for the sister who runs the entire nation. Ah, somebody missed their shout right now. but let me help you out and that I may break it down even further for you, that you will notice here it states that he's in his chariot and he's reading Isaiah. You now have an African who is educated. The brother had a job and is also reading scripture. If I may stop here parenthetically. And for those who are looking for a criteria for a spouse, for your life partner, you need to see here that this African, this Ethiopian already lays it out. He's a working brother, he's a worshiping brother, and he's a reading brother. Those are at least three boxes you need to mark off and raise that question when you engage somebody that you think maybe God has placed you with? Are they working, worshiping, and can they read? We see here he's working, worshiping, and reading, brother. He is reading in, he's reading right there in his own chariot.

19:02 It is so beautiful and powerful. And as a result of reading in his chariot, we see something that is powerful if you examine it from this perspective. But the fact that he is reading, which means that he is educated, but he is educated beyond 95% of the world population. He is the educated of the educated. He is the elite because literacy was not the norm. It was the exception. So we have an African who is now breaking the myth of illiteracy that has been disbunct. We now have an African who is not enslaved. So he is also debunking that. We now have an African who is a part of the faith. He is an African and he is Jewish. He is worshiping, which means you had Africans who were literate, Africans who were not enslaved, and Africans also who are part of the faith tradition we know as Judaism.

20:04 So we see an African Jew who is reading and also who is in charge of all the money in the most powerful nation in the world during that time period, known as Ethiopia. I absolutely love this of what God is doing in this text. And it is Philip who was then told by the Holy Spirit. I want you to run up next to this particular man. Please, I want you to run next to this person at this moment. And when you run up next to him, I don't want you to say anything, just listen. And as he is listening, he realizes that the man is reading Isaiah. And he raises a question to him. He wants to know, does he know what he's reading? The African says, I don't know what I'm reading.

21:01 I really can't figure it out what I am reading. unless someone were to interpret with me. He's just running beside this African who is in a chariot. Philip is walking and running. You know, Philip is just a BMW. I like to say he's a black man walking. And so he's next to the person in the chariot. And he doesn't push him. He just raises a question. And look at what happens. The man says, I don't know what I'm reading. unless someone were to interpret. And then it is Philip who was invited up into the chariot. Please do not miss this. He did not roll up on this Ethiopian and say, you need to know this. He was humble enough to keep his distance. He was humble enough to take the assignment that God has given him. He did not roll up saying, I should have that chariot. I should be living that life. You see, when you take the assignment that God has given you and you accept it fully, then you put yourself in a position to be elevated from where you are. He was invited up into the chariot. And as he's in the chariot, he then has the opportunity to talk about Jesus. He then tells him about the power of Jesus Christ and what Christ has done in his life. But please do not miss this.

22:44 The man, the Ethiopian, invites Philip up into the chariot, which means, because it says in scripture, he told the chariot driver to eventually stop. You missed it again. You see, the brother wasn't driving the chariot. He had somebody driving him. In other words, the brother was so smooth that he had a driver to drive him from Ethiopia all the way to Jerusalem. And there, Philip and the Ethiopian are discussing scripture. And after he finishes his witness and testimony about the power of Jesus, the Ethiopian does something that is so magnificent. He says, I see a small body of water right here. Can I be baptized right now? And Philip says, I guess you can. And it is the Ethiopian who tells the chariot driver, you got to stop. I want to be baptized right now. You see, when you are a witness, an authentic witness of what God has done, not only in your life, but around other people and in the lives of other people, when you're not trying to beat somebody over the head about your faith, when you are just living your faith and being obedient to the Holy Spirit, you will have the privilege to witness how God can move in the life of someone else.

24:23 And the Ethiopian makes the decision that he wants to be baptized, that he wants to be a part of the movement, the movement to spread the gospel, the movement known as the way. And he is baptized by Philip. And when he comes out of the water, Philip is removed by the Holy Spirit so he can continue his journey. And it is the Ethiopian who is amazed and excited and makes his way back home. Now, that would seem to be the end of the story. But you need to know the history of the story because Ethiopia had a large contingent of people who were Jewish. But then this Ethiopian shows up. This Ethiopian who had been in Jerusalem comes back and begins to talk to the queen of Ethiopia and telling the queen, I want to tell you about a man by the name of Jesus. I've been reading scripture and the prophet talks about him, that there will be a man who will be born unto us.

25:35 A child shall be born and the government shall be upon his shoulders. He begins to tell everybody about Jesus and other people decide to join the movement as becoming followers of the way. Now, let me give you something that's going to make you shout. You see, you've got to understand that the oldest tradition of Christianity is not in Italy. It is not in Greece. It is not in Armenia. That the oldest tradition that we know of Christianity, the church that we know of, is the Ethiopian Orthodox Church. And right here in the eighth chapter of Acts, we see an African who shaped our faith. Now that the reason that so many people understand who Jesus is, is because an entire nation, Ethiopia, ends up adopting the message of Christ. And to this day, you can go to Ethiopia and visit the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, and they elevate this Ethiopian, this Ethiopian eunuch who worked for the queen who ends up becoming one of the apostles in Ethiopia to establish the church.

26:55 So the next time somebody tries to tell you that there are no African people within the Christian tradition, flip open your Bible to the eighth chapter in the book of Acts. Move down to the 26th verse and say, I know an African who shaped our faith. That before there was a Roman Catholic church. Before there was a Greek Orthodox church. Before there was a Russian Orthodox church. There was an Ethiopian Orthodox church that proclaimed the unsearchable riches of Jesus Christ. I don't know about you, but I thank God for an Ethiopian eunuch. I don't know about you, but I thank God for an African who shaped our faith. Right here in this scripture, we see a man who is working, a man who is worshiping, a man who is reading.

27:53 And we see an apostle, a disciple, who is willing to accept his assignment with humility and as a result has an encounter with an Ethiopian eunuch, someone who didn't fit the orientation that everybody said he should fit, but becomes the pillar of the gospel being spread across the globe. This is the truth about the church. and we are thankful for an African who shaped our faith. Now, there may be someone who is watching today that you want to commit your life to Christ, to become a part of the movement, the movement of the way, to commit your life to Jesus Christ.

28:57 We welcome you right now to become a part of Trinity United Church of Christ. The door of this church is open to you right now. On the screen, you will see information. If you want to call, if you want to send an email, we welcome you virtually. Throughout this pandemic, our church has swelled, has expanded exponentially, and we welcome you right now that you can know the truth about the church, that we are a people who are part of this tradition, not Johnny-come-latelys, but we must learn and know and share with our children, Africans who've shaped our faith. We thank you so much for being with us on this day the Lord has made. And I pray that God will bless you this week, that you will get some rest, find some joy, and spread some good information to people about the wonders and the beauty of serving Jesus Christ.

30:11 I want to share before our benediction that I've got some good news for you. We're going back to church. The final Sunday in August, we have five Sundays in August, will be our first in-person worship. But prior to that, we will have, as we prepare for that in-person worship and prepare our building, we will have an outdoor worship for communion first Sunday in August. We invite you to come on out. We're going to set things up outside so that you can worship with us outside. And as I'm taping today, there's only a few people in here.

31:06 You will see some information in your email as we'll be inviting people to come in to our taping for our Sunday worship services prior to when we go live. And so we're inviting people to be a part of our taping. When we tape, we tape Thursdays and Saturdays. And then we will have our worship experience outdoors first Sunday in August. And then we're coming back into church the last Sunday of August, the fifth Sunday. So I'm excited about it. I look forward to seeing you. We're going to go through it in a very methodical way. Few people come on, show up for the taping, which is a worship experience. We then want you to come to our outdoor worship experience, and then we're going to be ready to go back into church the fifth Sunday of August.

32:13 I want to offer this prayer to you at this moment. May the road rise to meet you. May the wind always be at your back. May the sunlight of Jesus Christ always grace your cheek and may rain gently fall upon your field. And may God keep you in the hollow of God's hand. Until we meet again, keep working. Keep worshiping. Keep reading and accepting your assignment humbly so that you can be in a position to be elevated. Go in peace this day. God bless. And I will see you next week, which is Father's Day. Peace.