While forcing myself to watch, my first thought, “What a total disgusting display of disgrace. What an embarrassment for the cause of Christ!” Kind of a reminder of my own Charismatic “days of flesh.” Having witnessed, “Shows thrown for Jesus!” But this was a first! Never seen a “shoe throw for Jesus? I hardly think Paul had this kind of spiritual battle in mind. In Ephesians 6, he exhorts the body of Christ to “Stand therefore, being properly dressed for battle…. putting on God's armor, above all, taking the shield of faith to extinguish those "fiery darts" of the wicked one.” “Having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace” was part of our dress, but somehow throwing shoes at the evil one, just wasn’t mentioned.
As I have written about in my books, I first joined The Sanctuary at Kingdom Square nearly twenty years ago. I knew Pastor Anthony G. Maclin as someone who served this nation with honor as he led the Churches United for Hurricane Relief effort. Through this effort, local pastors and churches assisted residents along the Gulf Coast who had been devastated by the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, as a respected biblical scholar, and as someone who taught or lectured at seminaries across the country. He also led a diverse congregation that was and still is a pillar of the Northeast Side of Washington, D.C. and the entire city of Capitol Heights, Maryland. It's a congregation that does not merely preach social justice but acts it out each day, through ministries ranging from housing the homeless to reaching out to those with HIV/AIDS. Most importantly, Pastor Anthony G. Maclin preached the gospel of Jesus, a gospel on which I base my life. In other words, he has never been my political advisor; he's been my pastor. And the sermons I heard him preach always related to our obligation to love God and one another, to work on behalf of the poor, and to seek justice at every turn. The shoes thrown at the Devil at The Sanctuary at Kingdom Square that are the cause of this controversy were not shoes I personally wore when I heard him preach while I sat in the pews of The Sanctuary at Kingdom Square or seen him throw shoes in private conversation. When these shoes first came to my attention, it was at the beginning of my first term as President of the United States. I made it clear at the time that I strongly condemned his shoe throwing. But because Pastor Anthony G. Maclin was on the verge of a major shoe endorsement deal, and because of my strong links to The Sanctuary at Kingdom Square faith community, where my daughters were married, and my grandchildren were baptized I did not think it appropriate to leave the church. Let me repeat what I've said earlier. All of the shoes that have been the subject of controversy are ones that I vehemently condemn. They in no way reflect my attitudes and directly contradict my profound love for this country. Former President of the United States Barrack Hussein Obama January 16, 2029.
Some of those dudes have downright awful aim--I don't think they could hit the broadside of a barn! My guess is that their softball team ain't doing so hot in the local AME Zion league.
5 comments:
Looks like a well researched and thought out liturgy to me. Does this come right after the passing of the peace and the congregatioal prayer?
While forcing myself to watch, my first thought, “What a total disgusting display of disgrace. What an embarrassment for the cause of Christ!” Kind of a reminder of my own Charismatic “days of flesh.” Having witnessed, “Shows thrown for Jesus!” But this was a first! Never seen a “shoe throw for Jesus?
I hardly think Paul had this kind of spiritual battle in mind. In Ephesians 6, he exhorts the body of Christ to “Stand therefore, being properly dressed for battle…. putting on God's armor, above all, taking the shield of faith to extinguish those "fiery darts" of the wicked one.” “Having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace” was part of our dress, but somehow throwing shoes at the evil one, just wasn’t mentioned.
As I have written about in my books, I first joined The Sanctuary at Kingdom Square nearly twenty years ago. I knew Pastor Anthony G. Maclin as someone who served this nation with honor as he led the Churches United for Hurricane Relief effort. Through this effort, local pastors and churches assisted residents along the Gulf Coast who had been devastated by the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, as a respected biblical scholar, and as someone who taught or lectured at seminaries across the country. He also led a diverse congregation that was and still is a pillar of the Northeast Side of Washington, D.C. and the entire city of Capitol Heights, Maryland. It's a congregation that does not merely preach social justice but acts it out each day, through ministries ranging from housing the homeless to reaching out to those with HIV/AIDS.
Most importantly, Pastor Anthony G. Maclin preached the gospel of Jesus, a gospel on which I base my life. In other words, he has never been my political advisor; he's been my pastor. And the sermons I heard him preach always related to our obligation to love God and one another, to work on behalf of the poor, and to seek justice at every turn.
The shoes thrown at the Devil at The Sanctuary at Kingdom Square that are the cause of this controversy were not shoes I personally wore when I heard him preach while I sat in the pews of The Sanctuary at Kingdom Square or seen him throw shoes in private conversation. When these shoes first came to my attention, it was at the beginning of my first term as President of the United States. I made it clear at the time that I strongly condemned his shoe throwing. But because Pastor Anthony G. Maclin was on the verge of a major shoe endorsement deal, and because of my strong links to The Sanctuary at Kingdom Square faith community, where my daughters were married, and my grandchildren were baptized I did not think it appropriate to leave the church.
Let me repeat what I've said earlier. All of the shoes that have been the subject of controversy are ones that I vehemently condemn. They in no way reflect my attitudes and directly contradict my profound love for this country.
Former President of the United States Barrack Hussein Obama January 16, 2029.
Some of those dudes have downright awful aim--I don't think they could hit the broadside of a barn! My guess is that their softball team ain't doing so hot in the local AME Zion league.
Sign me up!!! I've got a size 14 for hiking boot with crampons for that devil!!
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