#13: Esther, Jesus, and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

The historic Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta

WHERE I WENT AND WHY:
This weekend we went to Atlanta to see the Chihuly exhibit in the Botanical Garden.  While there I felt I couldn't miss the opportunity to worship at Ebenezer Baptist Church.  The church where Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. preached.

WHAT TO KNOW IF YOU WANT TO GO:
There are two Ebenezer Baptist Churches.  The historical one, where Dr. King and his father preached is part of the National Park Services King Memorial.  The current active church is across the street and much larger.  If you decide to go, do not trust the sign or the web site for the times for the services.  Call ahead.  Dave and I took the bus from our hotel and then walked back, but there was parking in lots near the historic church, in fact they have a parking ministry.  The address is 101 Jackson Street NE, Atlanta, GA.  Dress was "dressy church casual".  Some women had on pants suits and not all of the men had on ties, but most did.

REFLECTIONS ON WORSHIP

MOOD:

We arrived a little late (see note below), so I cannot comment on the greeting, but after the service we talked to the pastor and a member of the choir and several other folks were friendly.  As far as I could tell we were the only white folks attending today.

MUSIC:

When we arrived the all men's choir was singing "So Good" a very energetic gospel song.  Later they did a very traditional Offertory of "How Great Thou Art" using both a grand piano and the pipe organ.  I went up and talked to one of the members of the choir and told them how impressed I was that they handled both genres with such skill.  I hate I missed the opening hymn "Joyful, Joyful, We Adore You", one of my favorites.  The congregation sang the Benediction "Total Praise" without printed words or a hymnal reference, holding hands, similar to my experience at Friendship Missionary Baptist.

MESSAGE:

Rev. Worthen with bow tie

Rev. Michael Worthen substituted for the Rev. Dr. Raphael G. Warnock, Senior Pastor today.  He was young, energetic and thoughtful.  Anyone who can combine, the book of Esther, the writings of Martin Niemoller, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Jesus all in one sermon gets an "A" in my book.  In describing Esther's role in saving the Jews, he said that God had put Esther in a position on purpose for a purpose.  He related this to the role of middle and upper class African Americans as they consider the plight of young African American men who have been incarcerated and/or those who feel they have been victims of systemic racism especially in  the justice system.  At first Esther tried to "put a bandaid" on it by giving Mordecai clothes or charity.  Mordecai had to speak up for himself and make a case for justice and soon Esther saw that his cause was also hers.  He related this to Martin Niemoller's famous writings about the holocaust:

First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Socialist.

Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Trade Unionist.

Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Jew.

Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me. 

He also connected with Dr. King as he spoke about the long arc of truth and justice and with Jesus as the champion of the marginalized.  He encouraged us all to look at our position and to ponder for what purpose God is ready to use us.

As I introduced myself to Rev. Worthen afterward, I told him that I am about half way through reading The New Jim Crow (see Blog #2) and that his sermon meshed well with what I am learning in my readings.

OUTREACH AND OBSERVATIONS

Note different times for church!

• I was impressed with the mood, music and message at this church and enjoyed worshipping there with my husband.
• A special outreach was highlighted as they are organizing a "Souls to the Polls" event next week.  Their goal is 100% participation in early voting for the congregation, so that they can be available to help others vote on November 8.
• A  unique ministry I found in their bulletin and website is the organization of monthly birth month clubs.  I gather that your birthday month puts you in a small group ministry that meets regularly for Bible Study and outreach activities.
• Getting there this week was just half the fun...or frustration.  It is becoming my experience that as a visitor, the website can be a welcoming or confusing portal to visiting the church.  First Dave and I made some " rookie mistakes" interpreting Atlanta's MARTA/bus schedule from its website.  The fares are different for buses vs. trains and you can only access senior fares if you have a special card.  A very nice bus driver identified us immediately as neophytes and visitors allowed us to ride on a partial fare and let us off at the door of the church!  The church website said that the worship started at 8 so we walked around the grounds taking pictures since we arrived about 7:40.  Then when we were starting to take a picture of the church with the church sign in the foreground, we noticed that the early service was listed as starting at both 7:45 and 7:30!  We hustled in and missed the opening announcements, hymn and prayers.  Maintaining signs and websites often fall to volunteers at churches or are not the highest priority for staff.  However as a visitor, they are the first portal to the church.  After church, we had used all of our cash on the bus,  and when we found the MARTA station where we could use a credit card, they were not running on Sunday until 9 (about a 1/2 hr from that time). The weather was so beautiful we opted to walk the mile+ instead of calling for Uber or waiting on the train.  We heard the trains start running just as we were rounding the corner to our hotel.

Cartoons of the week:

These are not from Ship of Fools, but I "googled" MLK cartoons" and most were from the editorial pages.  These 2 were my favorites:

BULLETIN: