July 3 message, or, how to make people angry in Church

Well, the Sunday July 3 sermon was not without glitches. The message was a little garbled, as I had failed to set up the appropriate slides for the planned sermon. So, I winged it, and it probable sounded like that. There is one aspect of the service, however, that I’d like to discuss, and hopefully, there might be some dialogue that results from my reaching out and offering an explanation.
Rev. Bills forwarded me a very respectfully written communication from a person that responded with a significant amount of concern (perhaps anger) pertaining to the performance of “America the Beautiful” that coincided with a video of building in the City of Detroit that had been, in the language of many Detroiters, “Demolished by Neglect.” The primary concern was, not only that the presentation was disrespectful to the song, and offended a sense of patriotism on a day set aside for celebration of the emergence of an independent American nation. Also, a concern was expressed that the video, in combination with the song, was politically motivated, and therefore had no place in a church service. If one person was offended by this presentation, than I assume that others were offended, if not the very least uncomfortable with the perceived message of the performance. As such, I’d like to share how my point of view as a Detroiter, and a Bible-centered Christian, informed this presentation. I am not sure if the reader will view this as a lesson in biblical interpretations that are driven by life experience (hermeneutics), or perhaps a treatise on diversity, or an obvious “apologetic” (defense) of a political agenda. As recent philosophical thinking suggests, the writer or speaker immediately loses the ability to dictate the meaning of the words once another reads or hears them. At any rate, I am providing you all with the text of my response to the thoughtful concerns expressed by an individual, who, had the presence of mind to wait a few days to express feelings so as to be clear and concise about how I had negatively affected their worship experience That Sunday.

I am sorry that I have not been able to know you. I hope to soon, perhaps over lunch with Bill, as he suggested. I am grateful for a few aspects of your correspondence with Bill. First, you obviously spent some time thinking about the video presentation, as the email was not sent to Thursday evening. That means to me that you seriously considered your feelings before reacting. Indeed, such reflection indicates that you did not “react, but responded with concern. Anger often prompts honest responses, and reacting often indicates rage. If you were feeling rage about the video, I am grateful that you were able to respond as you did. As Bill indicated, I am from Detroit, and lived in the poorest zip code in Michigan, and then the third poorest zip code in Michigan. Lake County is sandwiched in between. My experience of the human condition is greatly informed by my experiences of the inner-city, and the view of the world that is prevalent in such communities. I certainly chose the video, and when it was suggested to me that America the Beautiful was a fit for the choice, I heartily agreed. My own experience, and the experience of many inner-city residents, is that the video shown on Sunday is a representation of America that is often marginalized as undeserving of a place in the ongoing American dialogue concerning the matter of a national identity. My concern, however, and the purpose of the video and the beautiful accompaniment, is with the issues of the greater Christian community. As the Monty Python video was meant to represent, human economies are based on empire, and it is through empire that economies develop and ingenuity finds support. Nowhere is this more apparent than in Detroit, and the State of Michigan’s history. My intention with the video, however, was to put on display what occurs when the church leaves the city behind. In my old neighborhoods, great protestant churches stood empty and falling, as the old members died, and their children then stopped driving in fro the suburbs to keep them going. The churches that stayed, well, their membership were quite scared to provide outreach. Only African-American churches tended to do so, or missions. To many, it seemed as though God had left the city. Additionally, the video was in keeping with the prophetic admonishments to Israel and Judah, and what happens to God’s people when unfaithfulness reigns. There are a wide variety – numerous examples – of God and the prophets promising destruction of Israelite civilization, with city walls crumbling and a mass exile of the citizens of Judea. The result of such exile, or exodus, as some prefer, leaves the city of Jerusalem to the poor, just as in Jeremiah. When the exiles come back to Jerusalem, they lament over the vast destruction, and begin the task of rebuilding the city. Unfortunately, they perceive the people who stayed behind as impure, and cleansed the altar because the people left behind had continued to worship there. They then excluded those very faithful people from worshiping at the new altar. Of course, those people of the land became known as Samaritans. Al of this, whether in the prophets or Lamentations, suggests that the wrath of God does not spare even the mighty, but will bring low Jerusalem, and the once mighty Detroit. If you read Lamentations, and the Psalms, you can imagine the Judeans remembering the songs of Glory and conquests, the celebrations of David and Solomon and the exodus, as they stood among the ruins to rebuild.
Truly, when I see Detroit on return visits, I find that many things are missing. Old homes, businesses, apartments, and, old friends. For me, this is entirely a biblical issue, and not an issue of electoral politics. It is an issue of the politics of Jesus, however. For in the story of Jesus, we find that even the Samaritans are welcomed back into the story of God. Not only did Jesus reveal himself to the Samaritan woman at the well, but Jesus indicated that even the Samaritans, whose country Jews would refuse to even walk through, were neighbors that not only deserved love and justice, but should be invited back to worship with those who had before separated them from the people of God, and stripped them of their identity. The Bible indicates that many Judeans rejected the message of reconciliation and that one must live a life of faithfulness. According to Jesus, and the Judean historian Josephus, God again judged Israel, and Jerusalem and the temple were destroyed for good in 70CE according to God’s wrath. How does the church respond to God’s wrath, and what songs inform our understanding of the church’s call to faithfulness? It would be beneficial if a congregation could decide on the response to that question together, but, many of us, especially myself, have our singular filters through which we view the Bible and experience the divine. If there is one thing I have learned through writing and preaching, is that I loose all control over the meaning of my words and others interpretations of those words. All interpretations of my work are legitimate, if only because legitimate personal experiences inform interpretations. So, having tried to explain the meaning behind my decisions, I respect your concerns and the way you communicated them very much. My apology is not for my work, but for my failure to realize that others might be very hurt and angry at my representations of specific aspect of America. I should have made it clear, or considered another venue, though there is no better venue than worship to identify our inner discontent and find meaningful ways to express it with others, and share it with our God.

God’s Peace,
Scot Miller M.Div., MA Religion, MSW
Director of Adult Ministries
Georgetown United Methodist Church

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