St. Paul’s United Church
Sunday, February 3, 2008
To the Mountaintop – Rev. David Mundy
Exodus 24:12-18
Matthew
17:1-9
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
It was a beautiful July morning and I had no plans and no pressures
because I was on vacation. That all changed in a hurry because of what I heard
on the radio as I lay in bed. That day in Halifax there was to be a gathering
of government officials and former residents at the site of what had once been
the shanty-town called Africville. I hurried into my
clothes and ate “on the run” or more accurately “on the drive” to a public park
at the north end of Halifax. For some reason I wanted to be there when the
dedication of Africville as a historical site took
place.
You may not be aware that the province of Nova Scotia and the
communities around Halifax have a long history of black settlement. Following
the American Revolution thousands of African Americans came to Nova Scotia with
the promise of freedom and land. Sadly, it proved to be an elusive dream and
some of those first settlers actually moved onto Africa.
Others found the doors of opportunity closed, and for generations many
blacks lived in poverty, often in makeshift communities. One of those areas of
Halifax came to be known as Africville. Although the
roughly 400 people who lived there paid taxes to the city, they were never
provided with running water or sewage or paved roads. There were a post office
and a school and a church which was the heart of the community. Most of the
families who lived there were poor, but there was a strong sense of identity.
Then in the 1960's the government announced that all the land of Africville would be expropriated and the residents would be
moved so that a bridge could be built across Halifax harbour. Although there
were protests, the voices of these folk were not influential and the community
was levelled. Many of the residents received little or nothing in compensation
because they were considered squatters. Those who refused to go watched as
their homes were demolished by the bulldozers. The last service at Seaview African Baptist Church was on Easter Sunday 1967.
The bridge was built and Seaview Park took the
place of the community of Africville. The day I went
to the park there were official speeches making all the right noises about the
historic importance of the Africville community and
its church. The electrifying moment came when a tiny
teenager with a huge voice was invited to the front of the tent and began to
sing a song by Andre Crouch called Take Me Back. It was obvious that many of the black people
who were there were ready because they began to clap in rhythm and then to
stand and sing with her. Even Heritage Minister Sheila Copps
had a revival moment! When the singer had finished, a number of former
residents stood and made passionate speeches about the injustice of their
relocation. It was obvious that this was not part of the program, but they
spoke anyway. By the time it was over Ms. Copps had
virtually promised to rebuild the church, a promise that wasn’t kept.
As I left, I realized that the event had been both inspiring and cause
for sadness. A plaque and a cairn in a
public park were nice gestures but they did not right the wrongs of a previous
generation. Of course times and attitudes change and our 20/20 hindsight allows
us to see our prejudices and injustices. Why is it, though, that it often takes
so long?
This is the first Sunday of Black History month in North America
and because it is also Transfiguration Sunday we have mountaintop readings
today. The gospel lesson tells about Jesus’ climb up a mountain with some of
his followers. He has a mystical encounter with Moses and Elijah which leaves
his disciples bewildered and yet aware of Jesus in a new light.
The other mountaintop reading is a story of Moses going up the mountain
of Sinai to receive the commandments which would be the bedrock for the ethical
and moral code of Israel. It is certainly not the only holy moment on the
heights for Moses. It was on a mountain that God speaks to him out of a burning
bush, with the call to liberate his people from slavery. And just before the
group of nomads who have wandered in the wilderness reach their promised land,
Moses climbs to a mountaintop and looks across to the place which he cannot
enter.
It shouldn’t be surprising that a 20th century Moses, Dr.
Martin Luther King invokes this mountaintop imagery in the last speech before
his assassination in 1968 at the age of 39.
Well, I don't know
what will happen now. We've got some difficult days ahead. But it doesn't
matter with me now. Because I've been to the mountaintop.
But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the promised land . .
. And I'm happy, tonight. I'm not
worried about anything. I'm not fearing any man. Mine
eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord.
There are echoes of both Moses on the mountaintops and the
transfiguration of Jesus in the words of this speech.
What view of the landscape of race and equality do we have this morning?
Do we have much foresight or are we doomed to hindsight? Honestly, religion has an uneven record when
it comes to encouraging justice and fairness for those with different colour
skin and ethnic background. Often the bible has been used to justify and
support the inequalities. In the period before the Civil War in the United
States Christian debaters would stand toe-to-toe with bibles in hand, using
scripture to both support and oppose slavery.
As Canadians we would like to think of ourselves as more tolerant than
our friends across the border but that may be wishful thinking on our part.
Last Sunday I mentioned our former moderator, the late Rev. Dr. Wilbur Howard
who was the first black moderator of the United Church. As you have heard, he
was ordained to the ministry but was unable to find a pastorate which would
call him for years. Recently there was an interesting article in the Globe
and Mail newspaper in which it was pointed out that there are far more
people of colour in roles of political leadership in the United States than
here in Canada. The writer pointed out that the premiers of our provinces and
the Prime Minister are conspicuously white and male.
It is strange how our vision can become clouded and obscured to suit our
purposes. While our family never lived in any community with a large black
population, when we lived in Northern Ontario there was a significant Native
population. We enrolled our children in a public school which some folk warned
us might be a problem – it would be better to choose another school even if it
meant driving them elsewhere in the city. We came to realize that the perceived
“problem” was a fairly high percentage of native kids who were there because
the school was the centre for teaching the Ojibwa language. It was not a perfect
situation, but in the end we felt and our children feel that this experience
was a positive, not a negative in their growth and development. No one ever
came out and said “don’t send your kids there because of the Indians”
but it was certainly the message.
How do we get a clearer view of race and colour and creed today? Our
goal is not to wallow in guilt, which is a peculiar liberal pastime. We know that we can’t change the past, even
when we offer redress for past wrongs. The gospel always invites us to consider
a new way of living and acting in our world. We are the people who are
transfigured and transformed because we are witnesses to the living Christ who
is revealed in glory.
To get a more focussed perspective from the mountaintop it is important
to regularly do an inventory of our attitudes and outlooks. I can’t speak for
you, but I have come to realize that I will probably spend my whole lifetime
overcoming my own racism and sexism and religious intolerance. Of course I
don’t engage in racial slurs or sexist jokes, nor do I spout religious
stereotypes. I would like to believe that most of the time I live by gospel
values. But I have my moments when I am tempted to buy into stereotypes and
prejudices that surprise me.
I imagine
that most of us have those occasions when we wouldn’t want others to be aware
of our inner thoughts. This can change, through the grace of Christ. As a
follower of Christ I can pray for forgiveness and seek the strength to
live Christ for others. It isn’t always easy, but mountain-climbing
isn’t a walk in the park.
As a church we can be a leader in
our community. While Bowmanville is not homogeneous
in terms of race and colour it is still predominantly Caucasian, which may have
something to do with our location at the edge of the Greater Toronto Area. If
we look just west of us to communities such as Whitby and Ajax there is much
more obvious racial diversity. This will probably change for us over time. Our
town is about as flat as a Shrove Tuesday pancake but we can lead others to the
mountaintop of goodwill and acceptance.
In the end we want to enter into a
Promised Land which is based on the ethical values and commandments of loving
our neighbours and opening ourselves to the image of God who has created people
of every colour. On Martin Luther King Day one television commentator claimed
that Dr. King gave his life for his dream of a colourless society. As
earnest as this statement was, it simply isn’t true. King prayed for a day when
no one would be judged by the colour of his or her skin.
One last thought today. We tend to think of the United States when it
comes to the Civil Rights movement and there are the anthems of the struggle
such as This Little Light of Mine and We Shall Overcome and Keep
Your Eyes on the Prize. There is a Canadian musical connection to the Civil
Rights movement as well. A few weeks ago the great jazz pianist, Oscar
Peterson, died in Mississauga and his storied past and musical triumphs were
reviewed and cherished. We were reminded that Peterson was inspired to write a
piece called Hymn to Freedom in 1962, music which impressed Dr. King and
became well known to those around him. It includes these words.
When
every heart joins every heart
And together yearns for
liberty,
That's
when we'll be free.
When every hand joins every hand
and together moulds our
destiny
that’s when well be free.
Amen!