During the 2008 Presidential campaign, Rev. Jeremiah Wright, pastor of Trinity United Church of Christ, whose most famous congregant was Illinois Senator Barack Obama, burst unto the national political scene when media outlets reported and aired segments of previous sermons. The segment which appeared most frequently and generated the greatest controversy was his phrase, “God damn America” for its treatment of people of color. The entire sermon, delivered at Trinity on April 13, 2003, appears below....
Reverend Wright became Pastor Emeritus of Trinity United Church of Christ. Trinity UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST is a megachurch with more than 6000 members. President Obama was only one of those members.
President Obama was born in Hawaii on August 4, 1961. He would leave Hawaii to attend college. He began his college career in California and ended it in 1991 at Harvard (click here).
Reverend Wright retired from his ministry at Trinity United Church of Christ no doubt from public scandals generated by the GOP during the 2008 Presidential Race. No doubt Reverend Wright had no desire to cause President Obama any more difficulty during his terms in office. Reverend Wright was most gracious in coming forward from his Bully Pulpit and Fire Brand preaching during those elections to make clear his dedication to his faith and his country.
At the point where Reverend Wright retired he had served 36 years to build a congregation and minister to it.
President Obama first went to Chicago two years after achieving a Bachelor of Arts degree and hired as a director of the Developing Communities Project (DCP), a church-based community organization originally comprising eight Catholic parishes in Roseland, West Pullman and Riverdale on Chicago's South Side. He worked there for three years until May of 1988. He would then enter Harvard later that year.
Reverend Wright never needed Barak Obama to deliver his message to his congregation. He never needed anyone to grow the members of his church, because, he was a beacon of hope for the people that worshiped there.
During the 2008 Presidential Campaign, Reverend Wright's sermons were taken out of context. Reverend Wright ministered to many in the Chicago area, but, primarily minorities that had and were victims of hatred and discrimination. I would not expect his sermons to be 'standard dinner fare.' I would hope not because then it would be alienating and further victimizing. Never once in his career do I believe the United Church of Christ Ministries (click here)_ever told him to stop preaching. Not with a growing and ever growing congregation anyway.
Maybe we didn't respect the good works of Reverend Wright enough to stop the hideous propagandizing that continues today. Maybe we just wanted to make it go away. That was "W"rong. I apologize for it.
Below is the end, last paragraph or so, of one of the most so called controversial sermons. It would be respectful if we took the time to read the entire sermon and not just excerpt words, sentences or paragraphs. I am sure his parishioners miss his moving sermons. He should consider giving sermons again to select challenged Christians that normally don't need these good words in their daily diet and in honor of his dedication to his ministry he sincerely should be at a National Prayer Breakfast as Guest Speaker.
...You can’t keep down what God wants up. (click title to entry - thank you) God never fails. If God can get a three-day Jesus up out of a grave, what’s going on in your life that in anyway can’t match what God has already done? He’ll abides with you, he’ll reside in you, and he’ll preside over your problems if you take them to Him and leave them with Him. Don’t take them back – turn to your neighbor and say “stop taking your problems back.” Should we always bring our problems to the altar and then do we just them right on back to our seats? Turn and say “Stop taking them back!” God never fails. Turn and tell them “God never fails!”
God never fails!
God never fails.
Have a better day.
