Our “Lift Every Voice” sermon series continues!

All month long we are leaning into what we can learn from, and in, our shared history. The glorious song, “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” will guide us on the way. Its three verses invite us into praise, lament, and prayer as we confess sins and work to repair all that racism, biases, and discrimination have broken. In other words, this month “Lift Every Voice and Sing” will help bring us closer to being the beloved community Christ calls us to be.

Each week we’ll offer additional resources for you to learn more about this hymn and the struggles and triumphs that inspired it. Last week we recommended this article in the History of Hymns series on the UMC website.

For a slightly different presentation of the song’s history we suggest you read this piece from the Smithsonian (NB: as with many websites, utilizing the Reader View could enhance your reading experience.)

Additionally, as we swim in the stream of the second verse, the verse of lament, please take some time to immerse yourself in that stream’s headwater. Perhaps by exploring the National Memorial for Peace and Justice or the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute.

Our gospel lesson this week takes us further into Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount—that is, Jesus’ seminal teachings on how to live into the nearness of the Kin-dom of God. Throughout, Jesus calls us beyond simplistic, letter-of-the-law ideas. Rather, Jesus calls us to transcend our history and transform our present with the power of God’s Spirit.

How might an unflinching look at our past help us both hear homilies and hymns anew, and move us toward greater faithfulness in the present?

Pastor Dave will explore those ideas and more this Sunday, February 12th, in his sermon, “Lift Every Voice in Lament.”

Worship with us Sunday at 10:00am in person or online via our Woodridge UMC YouTube Channel. All are welcome!