Chicago

I'm glad I came to my senses.

I almost passed on the opportunity to travel to Chicago with our choir. About three weeks ago, the pastor of Bethel Lutheran Church asked me if I'd like to go to Chicago with our choir and preach at their Sunday morning service. I hesitated, mostly because I was disappointed on the choir's behalf that they would lose out on the opportunity to hear great preaching in the African-American tradition. After thinking it through, I decided to go. After all, how many times will I have this sort of opportunity? Again, I'm glad I came to my senses.

We arrived in Chicago on Friday evening. I connected with Phil Sipka that evening. He took me to his neighborhood, one of the poorest and most violent areas of Chicago. We walked to his church, where Phil worships and works as a mentor to at-risk children. He shared some of his dreams for living and working in that neighborhood, which he had summed up beautifully in a previous visit: "I want to be a little bit of light to a little bit of people." Later, Phil drove me to another part of the city where we visited the University of Chicago's seminary bookstore, and then went out to dinner. I'm inspired, challenged and humbled by my conversations with this extraordinary young man.

Phil drove me to the motel where all of us were staying. We arrived just in time for a greeting time with some of the members of Bethel Lutheran. This was the first of many touches of their warm hospitality.

On Saturday morning we all drove to the building in which Bethel Lutheran Church worships. It is a simple but beautiful building in the midst of an urban sea. The choir went to a gospel music seminar; others of us went to a seminar on organizing neighborhoods to overcome violence. Our leader, a community organizer from Boston, began his seminar with words that went something like this. "We all know what the needs in this and other communities are. We know our goal: to end the violence. And it's really not very difficult to figure out what we must do. The process of organizing is not that difficult. The one thing that we absolutely must have is passion. This job (organizing neighborhoods to overcome violence) will not be done without passion."

Following the seminars, we joined members of Bethel Lutheran and their friends for "Rachel's Day" festivities. The festivities began with a 'peace march.' Several dozen of us were led by a small drum and bugle corp and dancers; the music and activity invited a great deal of interest from the neighbors. Many of us carried signs: "No more killing." "Stop the violence." "Think of the children." We marched for several blocks in a large circle. We walked past homes and apartments, businesses and stores. Many stopped and watched; a few spoke with us, if only briefly. One of the African-American men who was part of our march told us later that someone asked him why he was marching with "all of those white people." He responded that he is on the same side as anyone who wants to work to make the community less violent. When we arrived back at the church building we ate lunch and listened to several people speak, including a woman who had lost a son to violence, leaders of several organizations that are coordinating their efforts to resist violence and a leader from the Nation of Islam. I found the latter's presence to be a bit confusing at first, until I realized that the folks in this community absolutely must make friends with anyone and everyone who is willing to work for a more peaceful community.

Saturday evening, the choirs of Alma First Church of God and Chicago Bethel Lutheran joined for a breathtaking concert. Each of the choirs sang separately, and then they joined together in one mass choir. I have heard our choir sing on dozens of occasions and they have often given me goose bumps, but this just might have been their finest hour. After several of their songs, the folks at Bethel chanted, "Alma! Alma! Alma!" Yes, they were that good. I know it was not their intention to go put on a show. They are a worship choir. But they were fabulous and the folks at Bethel made sure that they knew it! The Bethel choir was brilliant as well, and when they came together I feared that the roof might start crumbling from the power and the passion of their combined voices.

We returned to our hotel, and then back again to Bethel for the Sunday morning service. It was very interesting for me to be part of a worship service that was liturgical (more ritual and readings than I'm accustomed to) and full of the passion and rhythm that is common among African American churches. I really appreciated the marriage of these two styles, which some might wrongly think don't belong together. I was asked to bring the reading of the Gospel (from John 10) and then to bring the sermon, from 1 John 3. Though I was very nervous, I must say that it was a rich experience for me. I told the folks at Bethel that we need them--we need the broadening of perspective that they provide us, the different ideas and passions--and I meant it. I proposed that the true test of our spirituality is the authenticity of our love for one another. We could hardly be more different, our two congregations, and the challenge and opportunity to love one another is, to me, very compelling.

All told, this was a great experience. It's an amazing thing to see two congregations, as different as they could be, coming together in Christ's name. I'm grateful to Haley Underwood for being the catalyst for all of this, to Pastor Ron for working countless hours behind the scenes to make it happen, to our choir for allowing their gift of music to be an entryway for the meeting of our churches, and to the many others who came to serve and support.