That's All I Got

Rev. Jessica Braxton

When I graduated from Barton College I had no real plan other than I knew I would be starting seminary in the fall at Lexington Theological Seminary and that I needed to find a congregation to serve as a student pastor. I was not particularly excited about preaching. The idea of standing in front of a group of people proclaiming a message of hope from scriptures that opened more questions than answers honestly terrified me. Yet, my regional minister put my name out there on the pulpit supply list and the wait began.

On a Thursday morning while working my coffee shop job, my phone rang. “Hello there Miss Jessica,” the caller said, “I know it is last minute, but we here at Mill Creek Christian Church were wondering if you might be able to preach this Sunday?” You would have thought it was a call telling me I won the MegaMillions. An excitement I did not expect rushed over me as I very quickly worked to get my shift for Sunday covered before exclaiming a resounding yes!

I spent the rest of the week crafting a sermon about leaning not on our own understanding, but instead listening to the call of God in our lives. I was just certain that this message would resound for this church that was in transition, and who knows: maybe it would encourage them to call me as their interim while I was in seminary! I had not started school yet, so the sermon was crafted from online commentaries I happened to stumble upon and what I thought were powerful statements.

Sunday finally came, and I arrived at church two hours before the service, as one of my mentors had instructed me to do. The jitters were flowing. I led the parts of service I was asked to without a problem and was feeling pretty confident when it came time to preach. I stood up and I read my sermon out loud, and before I knew it, it was over. Not in a good way, where the relief of finally having done it gives you pride, but in the way that you realize it only took about three minutes to read everything I had written. I awkwardly laughed, and said out loud as my very short sermon ended, “Well, that’s all I got.”

Mill Creek called me as their interim and then, after a year, as their Senior Minister and I served them for four beautiful years. From that three-minute sermon I have grown and now preach standard length sermons that weave in the intricacies of exegesis alongside application. Yet, I still can’t help but think sometimes, when asked to preach the same week as a law that takes away women’s rights, or the same week as a school shooting, or the same week as innocent humanitarian workers are killed on the Gaza Strip and there don't seem to be any right words to say; I can’t help but think, that’s all I got. All I got is a little bit of hope, a little bit of love, a little bit of the light of the Holy Spirit in the midst of the brokenness of the world.

Sometimes a sermon only needs to be three minutes long, sometimes a sermon needs to be thirty minutes long, but all we’ve got is the love and light of God, and by golly, that’s enough!

Preaching Immigration Amid Perplexity

Dr. Francisco Lozada, Jr.

What should preachers say during this disorienting time about immigration and immigrants (broadly understood) in the United States? When I hear preachers speak on immigration or briefly mention the topic in their sermons/homilies, I pay attention to see how well-versed they are in immigration history and issues. The theme of immigration is very complex, so it is common for people to be unaware of its nuances. One approach I recommend to address this is to delve into the field and read up on it. The history of immigration is complicated, with many moving parts, and amidst the deluge of rhetoric flying about on social media and cable news, it is difficult to discern both the reality of “what is” and “that which is said to be” about immigration and migrants. 

In preparing for this reality, I want to introduce you to three social or cultural historical resources that might help to navigate this tension. The first is titled Operation Gatekeeper and Beyond: The War on “Illegals” and the Remaking of the U.S.-Mexico Boundary by Joseph Nevins (2002). In this volume, Nevins does a superb job discussing the different immigration strategies put forward by various political leaders over the years. We move from a strategy that focuses on deportation, that is, the immediate deportation of those crossing the border without proper documentation, to one of deterrence, making it very difficult for “people on the move” to enter the United States, to one of detention, that is, if caught we will detain you and even separate you from your family. Understanding the different immigration-political strategies helps us to understand the effects and significance of creating barriers to entering the United States. The volume also touches on the criminalization and dehumanization of immigrants and its effect on how we see and treat them. For a social-science reading, this is one of the rare volumes that touches on the ethics of hospitality and representation.  

Another very insightful volume is entitled Border Walls: Security and the War on Terror in the United States, India, and Israel by Reece Jones (2012). What most people in the congregations do not know is why and how barriers or “walls” between borders emerged. Barriers have been around for many years, from the Great Wall of China over 2,500 years, to Hadrian’s Wall begun in 122 CE, to “walls” initiated by Israel in 2000, India in 2002, and the United States in 2006, among others. If one were to count the new barriers since 2000, one would find around 25 cases of some barrier preventing the movement of people. Whether one agrees or not with these barriers by various countries, the question to ask is what the purpose of these walls is and how do they impact the representation of those on the other side (e.g., Lebanon, Bangladesh, Mexico). 

As the “border” becomes hardened, the Other on the other side is perceived as threatening, as reflected by many in the United States today when their primary source on “walls” is cable news. By understanding the history of barriers, one can better navigate the preaching of immigration from the pulpit.

A third book that would be beneficial is titled The End of the Myth: From the Frontier to the Border Wall in the Mind of America by Greg Grandin (2019). This excellent volume delves into the narrative of exceptionalism that runs through many stories and perspectives of the United States, from slavery to the newly arrived people on the move. The volume challenges Frederick Turner’s “Frontier Thesis” that argues that the expansion across the land “frontier” created an understanding of equality for all. However, as we know, this was not true for indigenous peoples, African slaves, and those considered outsiders, as evidenced by the fear-inducing rhetoric of political leaders. This rhetoric is less about building “the wall” and more using the idea of building to instill fear. 

These three volumes can help preachers navigate the topic of immigration within their respective congregations. Peaching in times of conflict should not be avoided but rather should serve as beacon of hope, healing, and education for both ourselves and for our congregations. By harnessing the power of the pulpit with knowledge, preachers can inspire their congregations to educate themselves and understand the challenges of conflict with courage, compassion, and faith, ultimately leading the way to a more peaceful and just world.  

Preacher Book Club

Our next Preacher Book Club gathering will be on June 5. Come for an informal discussion about The Exvangelicals: Living, Loving, and Leaving the White Evangelical Church, by Sarah McCammon.

Two opportunities to join the conversation:

Wednesday, May 5:

3:00pm ET/12:00 pm PT 

OR

7:30pm ET/4:30 pm PT