August 29, 2021 Worship - Pastor Jacqueline Thompson

this is the day that the lord has made and we're rejoicing and we're glad in it god of grace you have given us minds to know you hearts to love you and voices to sing your praise fill us with your spirit that we may celebrate your glory and worship you in spirit and in truth through jesus christ our lord amen let us worship together [Music] good morning reading for your hearing psalms 9 verses 1 2 and 10 from the living translation oh lord i will praise you with all my heart and tell everyone about your marvelous things you do i will be glad yes filled with joy because of you i will sing your praises o lord god above all gods verse 10 all those who know your mercy lord will count on you for help for you have never ever forsaken those who trust in you let us pray eternal god lord we come to you this morning with hearts of thanksgiving thanking you for your continuing love mercy and grace lord we thank you for protecting our family and loved ones from danger seen and unseen lord we ask that you forgive us for anything we may have said or done this contrary to your holy word lord please let your spirit continue to flow throughout this service touching the hearts and the minds assuring them that you have heard their cries and prayers and that you will never ever forsake us if we continue to trust and believe bless the music ministry in a special way as they lift our hearts our minds our thoughts and emotions towards you bless the vessel that will that you have anointed for this hour that we may be renewed and strengthened to continue to keep our hand in your hand these things we ask in your son the great i am's name we pray amen [Music] hallelujah [Music] [Music] [Music] the presence of the lord is here here in this place is hallelujah is is thank you lord [Applause] [Music] [Music] so [Music] hallelujah [Music] for you are the swords of my supplies [Music] i will sing hallelujah i will sing i will [Music] i lift you hallelujah [Music] hallelujah [Music] [Music] given hallelujah [Music] hills he has given us he's giving us the rain hold on [Music] [Applause] thank you jesus thank you lord thank you jesus thank you jesus [Music] [Music] hallelujah [Music] [Music] hallelujah hallelujah i will sing oh lord i will sing hallelujah i will sing hallelujah [Applause] [Applause] [Music] hallelujah i will sing oh lord i will sing hallelujah oh lord [Music] you are the source of my supply lord i praise [Music] amen amen amen good morning alan temple good morning allen temple it is so good to be in the house of the lord one more time amen for this was the day that the lord did not promise but he touched each and every one of us with the finger of love and so we are grateful for life health and strength the use of our limbs that we can see that we can smell that we can taste we don't want to take any of it any of it for granted amen so welcome welcome welcome to allen temple baptist church uh it is so good to be worshiping with you for all of those who are watching via live stream facebook type in the chat let people know tell them to tune in we are about to have a mighty good time in the lord amen for this is the day that the lord has made we will rejoice and be glad in it for the lord is good amen so let's see let's greet one another from across the aisle just wave at one another as we see um pick it up dig it up hey amen you may be seated in the presence of god so on behalf of our pastor the reverend dr uh jacqueline a thompson on behalf of our pastor emeritus the reverend dr j afrosmith senior we counted that you are welcome welcome welcome and i am going to toss it over to our pastor right now good morning allen temple this is the day the lord is made is there anybody that came to rejoice and be glad in it is because of the lord's mercies that we are not consumed i don't need everybody but just a few folks that say god i thank you for waking me up another day i thank you for allowing me to still be here i thank you that i'm able to come to the house of god i thank you that despite everything that's going on in the world you're still good god i thank you just for being god for keeping me for 17 months god we thank you it is good to be in the house of god one more time you may have your seats if you can it's good to see you amen i was caught last week in uh new jersey trying to run away from hurricane henry amen i am grateful that it landed as a tropical storm but i certainly want to thank publicly pastor dwayne easton for preaching a wonderful word they told me y'all had real good church last week and so let me do a couple of things first let me acknowledge our public ministries who had a wonderful town hall yesterday it was online around voting around all of the issues that we've raised before and so one of the candidates that is running for assembly member district 18 is here with us today so we thank god for ms mia banta come on stand up so they can see you we're glad amen she would be representing our area and of course as always we are always grateful for our district council person we thank god for lauren taylor who's here with us today so very grateful for their presence some more folks that i will introduce to you at a later time but what i wanted to do is take this time i've been talking to you all for the past couple of weeks about a project that i got some funding for and decided to do um some film shorts called covet in black do you all remember that and so i just want to share with you a brief snippet it's a rough cut okay so critique it real good later it's a rough cut but this is coveted in black and here's how it came about we thank you sister cynthia adams from the naacp we're grateful for her presence as well today when the pandemic first hit the first thing i did was try to research how we responded how did the world and the nation respond the first time because it was new at first we thought when they told us it was only going to be a week or two then a week turned into a month and a month turned into two months and now it's 17 months in what i also did was try and look for the stories of american people and i couldn't find any and so what i said to myself was is that i do not want something as impactful as the world having to shut down because of a global pandemic and black stories are not told and so we asked some people to share their stories with us and so a couple of persons agreed to do so so this is just a rough cut we have about 15 20 stories we're going to tell but i want to share with you these two this morning is that all right all right thank you reverend charlotte my name is sharifah winston reverend warren long i am the administrative manager at allen temple baptist church i am an instructional sport support specialist for oakland unified school district and i have been here at allen temple for five years i have been a member since 2005. at first i was happy because i'm like i get a break from work it's going to be a couple of weeks they're going to fix it you know and then as time went on it became scary we were shut down the next day or something like that i was no longer working my children weren't in school and it just was a scary time not knowing what was going to happen that was pretty quick action here at allen temple shutting down the campus by march 18th so initially my apprehension or my lack of information came to roost pretty quickly and i understood the severity of the pandemic and its growth i am an outdoors person i'm kind of restless by nature so that has seriously changed my habits my daily habits having to stay indoors having to shelter in place that was really a challenge for me the new norm is a challenge for me because it seems like it changes every day you know we weren't able to we didn't have to wear masks now we're back to wearing a mask the kobe numbers are back up because of the the new strand and it's just it's like a roller coaster i think that it's a trust factor so i don't know how you mitigate that but people in the communities of color in particular have been hesitant about testing one and then becoming vaccinated number two and primarily about becoming vaccinated they might be willing to be tested at some point but there's still a lot of hesitation about being vaccinated if you need to learn about cobit 19 and what can keep you know keep us safe i believe testing is something that we need to do even if you're vaccinated god has sustained me a forward-thinking pastor because she brought covet testing to the church and i was able to get a job there i think allen temple being a testing and a vaccination site have been a great um benefit to the community first it's accessible it's right here in deep east oakland so it is accessible to communities where who don't traditionally have access to resources or care that other communities have it's been a great experience but we really didn't get to the whole community around here a lot of people came but they were not of this community and i just think that i wish we could have done um more outreach or figured out a way to get them here because we're here three days a week ten to four walk up drive in it it doesn't matter we were testing and i just think it's very important that we really reach out to our community so that they can know so they can know that these services exist that is just a snippet [Applause] so we thank the east bay community foundation these are just snippets of what will go around the world hopefully they will be used by churches all across the nation nonprofit agencies again to document the stories of how covet is impacting african-american communities because just when we thought it was going away guess what it doubled up and it's still here but people need to know that there are people who are being impacted there are people who have caught the disease and they have passed away there are people who have contracted the disease and they have lived there are people who are still struggling still trying to figure things out and so sometimes when you see someone else's story it helps you feel better about your own story but moreover it is meant to be an instrument to raise awareness and to encourage our people to make healthy choices for their future that we are not listening to the internet we are not listening to youtube we are not listening to the resident medical school person that dropped out down the street amen we are listening to the science to make decisions that preserve our community amen amen thank you so much as always for your support and when it becomes a full video presentation maybe we'll have a little screening or something maybe we'll we'll have an event and have a covet and black screening but with that in mind this is fifth sunday women's mission sunday and we are so very grateful for all of our mission circles that continue to serve the community even in the midst of a pandemic they serve not only here but they also give and serve abroad and so this is our opportunity to help them to help the ministries of this church it is giving time oh wait a minute i don't know that don't sound like blessed folk i said it's giving time that's what i'm talking about whether you have it to give or not we are grateful to the god who continues to provide so we prepare our hearts and minds to give at this time if you are joining us online you have an opportunity to give as well you are more than welcome to go straight to our website and to visit us that way and make your gift known there we are also accepting gifts by mail you can send your tithe and your offering in you can also do it via text message and for those of you who are in the sanctuary we are grateful for our ushers who are going to serve us as this time as our our women's chorus amen who has ministered so beautifully will come back before us but let me say this haiti and so we're grateful for our global missions who have already committed funding to support those who are in haiti i will be coming back before you again with a request we have gotten several requests from several partners that we have in haiti but we also recognize it's so much going on they're bracing for hurricane ida as we speak we recognize those in tennessee have been impacted and we haven't even called the name of those in afghanistan and those who are returning and so just know that i will be coming before you but we have not forgotten about haiti and here is why it's critical dr ali when i landed in new jersey i had a driver who was from new york typical typical driver and so he and i were talking because he soon figured out that i was probably a bit more liberal than he is and i soon figured out that he was a bit more conservative uh than i am and so the conversation he had when we started talking about world events because it's a long drive from newark airport to new brunswick he brought up haiti and he said you know what and i said what he said it's almost like they're cursed and so after i breathed and channeled all of the holy ghost i could i recognized perhaps this was a teaching moment and so we had a very real conversation about the history of nations in this world we had a very real conversation that poverty does not happen on its own that people who are poor are not cursed by god there are enough resources in this world for everybody to have what they need to have the issue is not god the issue is us and the way we decide to distribute resources and so we want people to know because there's some of us that feel that way why do things always happen to haiti oh it's because they practice witchcraft oh no we say it yes we do but they are a people created in the image and the likeness of god and even when we can't explain the hardship that we experience we still recognize that they are a people that is loved by god and so we will be coming back along with global missions with a request for haiti to make sure that they receive the report and they receive the support they need because as more things happen guess what it gets pushed out the news amen did i talk long enough for you to write checks hallelujah and fill out envelopes y'all didn't catch that filler come on us as we are ready to receive our offering and we're ready to hear from our women's mission chorus today [Music] so jesus deep in his head [Applause] now i'm on my way oh brought me out to my life now i'm on my way jesus brought me up turn my life alright jesus we're jesus hey is turn my life around turn my life forward [Applause] [Music] praise god when all blessings flow and they flow and they flow and they flow alan temple and friends it is time to pray i invite you to stand where you are sit where you are assume the prayer of posture live stream telephone i invite you to do the same as we prepare to prayer for these individuals who are listed on our bereavement list as well as our special prayers and for you who are here in the balcony it looks so good in a sanctuary on live stream on a telephone we pray for sister tamiya andrews pass the granddaughter of sister velora lofton the homegoing celebration is pending brother tyrone bennett passed the nephew of reverend ainita and deacon anaton anasanya homegoing celebration will be held in los angeles brother johnny armstrong passed the son of deaconess dixie roberson and brother of sister bobby horton homecoming celebration is pending brother cedric hughes passed the brother of sister maxine graves homegoing celebration is pending sister ola kufo warlowa ana forgive me if i misspoke your name past she's the cousin of reverend oh lou and judge gail barriola the homegoing celebration will be held on september 8th at trinity house zion center in logos nigeria brother royal odell taylor pass father of sister deborah nelson and grandfather of sisters taylor and tara lynn nelson homegoing celebration will be held on monday august 30th at 11 am at beth eden baptist church in oakland california we continue with the bereavements for brother marlon bradford past the nephew of sister marilyn stewart homegoing celebration was held on saturday august 28th at fuchsia hudson funeral home in oakland sister lily horton passed the mother of sister gloria holmes homegoing celebration was held at fuchsia hudson funeral home in oakland we have special prayers for sister benny banks and family mother jesse brown sister mary hill sister jacqueline jackson sister loretta james sister jean love sister eva mouton brother closter sims brother william thompson i want to remind you you can send your prayer requests via email to prayer at alan temple.org or you can call you can call right now 510-544-8910 [Music] with all hearts and minds clear i encourage you to put your prayer request in the chat if you're joining by facebook there's someone there that will pray with you with me as we're praying please join me in prayer eternal god we come recognizing you as god almighty and saying thank you thank you for today a day we've never seen before and a day we will never see again lord god i thank you i thank you for the opportunity to come together as a collective body to cry out to you you said if my people will come together and pray that you will be here with us holy spirit i invite you to throw your weight around in the name of jesus there is someone here lord that's been crying out to you all night you said that we've been may endure for a night but joy comes in the morning we welcome joy to the situation right now in the name of jesus i invite you all to lay your burdens down right where you are the lord said cast all your cares onto me because he cares for us he said to take his yoke upon you and to learn of him for his ways are easy and his burdens are light lord god you don't give us the spirit of fear yet many of us are afraid we are afraid of the pandemic we're afraid of the natural disasters we're afraid of the violence that is in our neighborhood and lord god we just come standing right now in the name of jesus asking for peace peace that passes all understanding peace that comes our hearts and mind peace that gives us that unspeakable joy lord god you said that when we're weak you'll make us strong many are weak lord god for day in and day out they're showing up pouring out of empty cups i just ask that you fill them now in the name of jesus lord god i lift up families to you in the name of jesus many are doing the best they can with what they have and yet it feels like it's not enough lord god i just thank you that you are our provider and i thank you that you will continue to provide for all of our needs in the name of jesus lord god i would be remissed if i didn't lift up the state of new orleans as they prepare for hurricane ida but i also want to lift up the haiti hallelujah in afghanistan lord god in the state of california who is still on fire in the name of jesus lord god have your way have your way in our lives lord god let us continue to be the light that you have called us to be lord god thank you that we are allowed to be your hands and feet on earth so be with us now oh god i lift up those who were on the bereavement list you heard their names lord god i just ask that you comfort their families in the name of jesus we know that grief stays on longer than many know lord god so even those who have lost loved ones as a result of this pandemic i ask that you be with them now comfort them in the name of jesus and then lord god there were those on a special prayer list you heard their names and i'm going to add one lord god we lift up our pastor reverend jacqueline a thompson in the name of jesus i thank you for a leadership i ask that you pour a fresh anointing on our lord god thank you for the vision that you have given her to lead us through this pandemic and beyond in the name of jesus continue to protect her from all hurt harm and danger lord god i ask that you put your hedge of protection around all of us around our homes around our communities around our families around our health around our finances around our children in their education lord god continue to let your word be a light to our feet and a lamp to our path and we'll be sure to give you all the glory and all the praise in the matchless name of jesus the christ i pray amen amen and amen so [Music] i'll see us to your yes yes yes through the storm and the rain through sickness and pain i'll say yes [Applause] [Music] yes to your will and your way [Music] yes if you tell me to go i will not say no i'll say yes yes yes i surrender my all i'll be there when you call i say yes yes yes yes yes [Applause] yes yes going yeah yes [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] we are grateful to god for our women's course that's leading us this morning say yes yes to your will yes to your way amen this is the day that the lord has made and i decided no matter what i go through i will rejoice and be glad in it you all know i really don't need your help i will bless the lord at all times god's praise shall continually be in my mouth but it's so much better when somebody magnifies the lord with me come on let's exalt his name together because despite what you're going through the lord is good and the lord is good all the time come on keep clapping i promise you i'm not going to be before you long but i want to welcome home sister joyce who is home visiting from florida and singing today we thank god for you amen keep clapping we have a number of those who are visiting with us today and we're so glad to have them sister latifah amen we know you even in a mask amen we thank god for latifah simon social justice advocate bishop matthews bishop george is with us today we thank god for him i know i'm missing some folk but i promise i will get you later so here's what's going on because i sent a video i asked you all to join us and even though we're limited capacity i know you've been wondering okay well what's going on people are walking around what's going on and so we are grateful today i'm going to be brief because there are two people that i want you to hear from the first is our very own congresswoman barbara lee who will be joining us in a bit we want to hear from her and then we want to hear from our very own governor governor gavin newsom [Applause] [Music] and so both of them will be with us today in just a few moments and so i think it's important in these days and times that we hear from our leaders and i think it's i am grateful that they are consenting to be here i can't tell if that's brother wiley you're not under that mask so i'm not gonna say nothing i don't know if it is and so if it's not i'm gonna just keep looking over here amen but that's why you see some faces here that you've never seen before because we're at a critical time in our state and i will speak about that more later but just know we're at a critical time in our state and to be at a critical time in california means we are at a very critical time in our nation and so last time i raised this for you i stood before you and said do the right thing right that's what i that's what i said i said do the right thing and i meant that but we recognize we are here for worship and so there is a word from the lord if you don't mind i promise you dr mclean it's going to be 10 minutes watch me okay 15 15. i'm gonna try real hard i really am nick carter come on we're going to the word of god familiar text and i pray it will be a source of encouragement to your hearts even briefly we are in ii corinthians chapter four i'll be reading for your hearing verses eight and verses nine then jumping down to verses 16 through verses 18. this is the new king james version which i do not usually do but we're going to do it as my grandmother would say because it sound like the bible that's what we're going to do it sounds like the bible so hear ye the word of the lord the bible says we are hard-pressed on every side yet not crushed we are perplexed but not in despair persecuted but not forsaken is this anybody's testimony struck down but not destroyed skipping to verse 16 paul says therefore we do not lose heart even though our outward man is perishing or decaying yet the inward man is being renewed day by day 17 says for our light affliction which is but for a moment is working for us far more exceeding an external weight of glory while we do not look at the things which are seen that's why we're people of faith but at the things which are not seen for the things that are not but the things that are seen are temporary but the things which are not seen are eternal so y'all may not get it but you know i like it like that so just look at somebody and say don't lose heart come on tell somebody else next to you don't lose heart as you take your seats tell somebody don't lose heart i was praying and asking the lord what god would have me to share and that is the word that god dropped in my spirit don't lose heart so by way of a holiday i don't know who's timing me digging pirelli at i don't know y'all got iphones and i watches you could time me they didn't stop me and write about seven minutes we'll see but one of my favorite books that are written about dr martin luther king jr believe it or not are not the ones that chronicle his ministry or chronicle the i have a dream speech or all of the things that we know dr martin luther king for but my favorite book miss sandra written about dr martin luther king is the book called death of a king it was written in really co-authored with travis smiley and the reason why it's one of my favorite books about him is because it is not the book that chronicles where he's sitting on top of life it is not the book that chronicles where he is well loved it is a book that details the last 365 days of his life from april 4th 1967 to april 4th 1968. we see a very different picture of dr martin luther king because people seem to believe that somehow when you serve or when you're public or when you're trying to live for god that you're always up but is there anybody honest enough to say that as blessed as i am and as wonderful as life is that there are times sometimes when my heart is down and when i get discouraged and i look around and i wonder why things are the way they are i don't need everybody just a few honest saints that could say with my wonderful degree and all of my pedigree and all of my social connections there are still days when i wonder what is going on in the world this is the period where they chronicle a dr martin luther king who struggled with depression and who struggled with discouragement and who struggled with despair why because life changed for him he had already passed two landmark pieces of legislation in partnership with president johnson the voting rights act and the civil rights act but then there was the vietnam war and so on april 4th 1967 he stood in riverside church in new york and he gave that speech beyond vietnam where he lifted up what he called the three demons of racism militarism and capitalism and said to the same president johnson that we don't have any business sending black people to go fight other people of color when they come back to their own country and don't have any rights here but the problem is the same people that stood on the mall and clapped and paraded him when he said i have a dream are the same people that turn their backs on him when he told the truth about an area that was close to them don't you know the world will change and that people that you think would support you the entire time will be the same people that turn on you this is a different martin luther king [Applause] it chronicles how black bourgeoisie and middle class folk that's us some of us amen some of us faking bourgeoisie we just as hood as we want to be we just faking it [Applause] same people who said why don't you leave that alone why are you stirring up trouble president johnson has been our friend why are you taking it this far but when you are really called to lead and when you are really called to serve you recognize that your allegiance is not to any one individual but to a mission and a purpose and a cause that advances the well-being of everybody it's a different martin luther king [Music] and yet even in the midst of all of that he still continued to push for our freedom and push for justice i said lord you have to help me help me understand how when it seems like the people closest to you even the people in slc turned on him the southern christian leadership conference folk turned on it and yet he still continued to fight on our behalf still continued not to lose heart still continue to show up in memphis not knowing that the 12 months after the day he gave that speech would be the day he is assassinated at the lorraine hotel i think he understood some things he understood some things that paul understood i promise you i'm going quickly to the text because the hour is leaving paul by the time he writes this text in corinthians have been beaten five times whipped beaten with a rod three times stoned three times abandoned by his entire family had pressures from the church every single day and yet he said we are perplexed and we are crushed but we are not in despair and we are not destroyed then he came back and he said don't lose heart i said lord just just help me so i can just say something in terms of a homily that helps the people here is how you not lose heart when you sit and watch the news and you cry for the women and the girls of afghanistan because the taliban has told them that you have to stay in your home because the soldiers are not trained to honor and protect you here is how you continue not to lose heart when you recognize that the same thing the voting rights that dr king fought for and got past we still fighting for today how do you not lose heart when you have a lieutenant governor of a whole state that stands up and say the state got covered because of black people [Applause] how do you lose heart how do you not lose heart when it seems like every single game we have made is slowly being rolled back how do you not lose heart when it seems like we've lost our sense of decency and respect how do you not lose heart when you have to fight with people to cover their face so they don't kill nobody else or that they themselves don't end up being killed how do you not lose heart paul says even though our outward body congresswoman is decaying our inward man it's being renewed day by day mess me up because i couldn't get excited about what's happening on the inside when there's so much happening on the outside but then i had to remember where i came from how i descend from a people that was snatched from the coast of africa and placed on the bottom of ships and they still maintain their resolve how they did not speak the language how they endured the waters of the middle passage and they still maintain their resolve how they lived through brutal chattel savory for 400 years and they still maintain their resolve how even through jim crow and even through discrimination and segregation they still believed that god was going to show up for them because they knew what needed to recur to renew their spirit day by day so i challenge you what are you doing every day to renew your spirit that's why we come to the house of god that's why we sing the songs and clap our hands that's why we dance if we have to and shout if we have to and scream if we have to because it renews my spirit and as long as my spirit is strong there is nothing outside of me that can deter me or break me let me tell you about a spirit the bible says it is the spirit of a person that sustains them and my mother trusting night y'all know living with dementia but god is faithful and kind her body she's so small y'all she's still cute but she's real small and so my sister and i because whenever you're caregiving right sibling stuff comes up and so my sister is a licensed clinical social worker and that's how she approaches the situation and i'm not so that's how i approach the situation but here is one thing that i learned if i were to just look at her which i know is what doctors did they pronounced death over her in december but she's still here because when i walk in the room the first thing i want to do is look in her eyes and when her eyes meet my eyes if she still eats out a smile i know her spirit is still in her because if your spirit is strong then you can withstand anything that is thrown against you but sometimes we pay more attention to our bodies and our families and our minds then we do our spirits but he said even though my body is decaying my spirit is strong even though it seems like everything is falling apart around us isn't it good to know that you still got somebody that's still working in washington right now i thank god for congresswoman lee for her spirit for her resolve for the length of time that she served i thank god that in 2021 god vindicated her because she told you 20 years ago not to go into afghanistan and you win anyway we thank god but do not be deceived it is because she is a spiritual woman [Applause] who will pray and seek prayer so for those of us who have been called to lead and all of us who have been called to serve one of the ways you don't lose heart is you have to remember that your spirit is being renewed every single day and just like you grab that cup of coffee just like you grab that meal grab something that's going to renew your spirit paul goes on to say because i know i'm over my time i know i see the clock okay all right i'm coming i promise you i'll be done before he get here watch the second thing he said he said this light momentary affliction mess me up because some of the things we go through don't feel light and the battle to convince people that black lives really do matter don't seem short but i said god how is it that paul can say that this light momentary affliction don't even worry about it because it's working for you a greater exceeding weight of glory mess me up because i always have to go back to my upbringing bishop and what they used to tell us when i was growing up the saints used to say trouble don't last always and you didn't really understand it when you were younger but when you got older and lived a little bit is there anybody can look back over their life and recognize the trouble really don't last always but here is the beauty of the text what paul was really trying to teach the people is that your affliction has the ability to work for you because scripture says god makes all things work together for our good them that are called according to god's purpose that love god mess me up because you mean my trouble can work for me that's what joseph didn't understand joseph thought that when he was in prison that what god had spoken over his life was over but little did he know that that momentary time he spent in prison was the same amount of time that god needed to set up and prepare the circumstance that was going to land him in the middle of the palace all you have to do is believe that god is able to take whatever affliction whether it's in your body in your family in your marriage in your community god is able to make trouble work for your good god is able i remember when we needed testing ms bunter here in east oakland and we had called alameda county councilmember taylor can tell you they said we don't have no tests and so me being who i am y'all praying my strength in the lord i called everybody i could think to call i emailed everybody i could think to email i offended everybody who could be offended because sometimes you need a little trouble and that's what congressman john lewis make good trouble and some of us are here today living the way we are living because there were people who decided to make good trouble on our behalf even though they would never live to benefit from the good trouble they made and so we owe it to the generation that comes behind us to make as much trouble as we need to make to make sure that they experience what god has actually called them to it's a momentary affliction but it's working for our good last thing i promise you i'm done because i'm over he goes on to tell them he said because we don't focus on what we see we focus on what is unseen because what you see is temporary but what you don't see is eternal it is the same as when he came back and said we walk by talk to me and not buy because when we focus our attention on what we see then we get caught up in despondency and despair and what can never happen but when you focus your attention on what you don't see then you are able to envision and to dream and to imagine who would have thought right here in the middle of deep east oakland where they said nothing good was coming out of here that god would plant a church that would start as a little church on the corner and then become a bigger church and then give it a family life center and then cause it [Applause] so i always say when you're driving around what do you see i believe east 14th because i'm not on international boulevard quite yet was these 14th when i left i see piedmont avenue and the only reason it can't be piedmont avenue is because of the limitations of what we see [Applause] i don't want to have to go to san leandro to get gas or to sit down at a white tablecloth restaurant or to be able to get fresh food but if you focus on what you see then it will become changed to you but aren't you glad that you descended from people that saw you free that saw you with all of the inalienable rights that you deserve that saw something for you that they didn't even realize for themselves and no matter how hard it was even when they were sick and tired of being sick and tired they still continued to fight so you could have the future that they saw even though they didn't have it them [Applause] you have to be able to see the invisible we built black colleges in the basement of churches seeing the invisible we started banks when they wouldn't keep our money and give us loans [Applause] seeing the invisible [Applause] inventions when they were not present in the earth because we see the invisible and when you are able to see the invisible then you know not to lose heart because the same god that raised jesus from the dead that same resurrection power is still at work today so that's why i get excited when they say you can't do that she can't do that they're not gonna be able to manage that just give it a little time it's not gonna work out keep talking cause the god i serve is able to do exceedingly and abundantly above all i could ever ask think do i have anybody that believes god is able to do anything but fail we stand here today [Applause] because god has been faithful even when we have not been faithful [Applause] so the lord says don't lose heart come on reverend shaw put it up for me one more time verse eight and verse nine let me let me see it we have to remember we are hard-pressed if it was one side rev moody i could take it but we hard pressed on every side yet we're not crushed we are perplexed [Applause] but we are not in despair persecuted lord knows but we are not forsaken king james version says cast down but we are not destroyed therefore verse 16 don't lose heart i promise you i'm done i don't know if our guest is here or not is he here he's on his way okay all right so this is who this is for because people email me during the week and i write back and so one of our members her name is rachel hi rachel she is a nurse in san francisco and so she stayed on my mind and so i sent her an email and she wrote back to tell me how challenged healthcare workers are right now and how depressed they are because they are being overwhelmed in the hospital she's a young woman out here by herself no family had another issue someone in my family who's dealing with something stuff just going on all around but even though you all are not present with us the same word is for you don't lose heart [Music] because i promise you on the other side is your struggle is exactly what god has promised and you got proof right here it may take 20 years but they will have to come back and say she was right [Applause] so on this day we invite you whether you're in the sanctuary whether you're joining us online listen it's lots of things we need to be safe in these days and times and a mask is one of them but even greater than that is a relationship with god so if you don't know anything about what i was talking about that is my first conversation and invitation to you you need a relationship with jesus christ i promise you it does not make you immune from trouble sometimes it can feel like when you have relationship you get more trouble than you had beforehand but what it does guarantee you is that you have somebody who will be with you every single step of the way second invitation if you are here and you don't have a church home there are many many wonderful churches in the area but i can testify about this church that i joined when i was 12 years old right there in the balcony eating candy looking at dr smith singing not listening to nothing he said and even then god was at work in our lives if the pandemic has taught us nothing it has taught us the power of community and the benefit of community we would love to be your church home if you would love to join us and become a part of us you can type right there in the chat and somebody will reach out to you last invitation maybe you're here and you just need somebody to connect with you because you have something that is crushing you on every side we are grateful for our clergy that are here we're grateful for our deacons we are praying and preaching deacons who are able to serve and to minister to you at this time so we're going to sing a little bit we're going to believe god and then we're going to move with the next part of our service [Music] oh [Music] i'm so mad is oh what shall i do amen amen amen you may have your seats i know the congresswoman looking like why she giving me a mic but we have not seen her and we are happy to see her amen and we want to hear from her so we are going to transition a bit i need she's gonna come wipe the pulpit down for me [Music] but we do know our congresswoman has been hard at work here and abroad fighting not just for her district but she really does fight for all those that are in need so we want you to know we love you we support you we pray for you we thank god for you come on let's welcome congresswoman barbara lee [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] so [Music] and give an honor to god he is the head of my life and to pastor jackie let me just say to you my spirit is renewed and i just have to thank you so much for not only your christian leadership but your civic leadership and for what you and my allen temple family have done to save lives in our community that's what it's about and answers so it's good to be back home i don't know where to start it has been quite a remarkable um very sad very treacherous very deadly two years but we stand here today because we know it's by the grace of god that we've been able to weather this storm [Applause] and i just want to say for a moment i want to thank you so much for your prayers because i've been up through a lot as you know i was sitting as close as i am to you when the on january 6 when those white supremacist terrorists invaded the capitol and i heard from many of you and again it was only by the grace of god that i survived that and so i just want to thank you for your prayers i know the power of prayer it's constant and i'm here today to just say to you how important it is to vote no on this recall it's so important for many reasons but we know good and well that we all said that the last election was the most important election of our lifetimes well i want you to know here we are again because we know who they are and they are targeting california now to take over not only the state but the entire country now you know who they are we know that and so it's so important that we educate our community about why it's important to just vote no on the recall and i just have to say a couple of things just about our governor because i know him well he has been a governor and you can ask anybody who knows his record who has supported the black community like none other like none other he has stood up for our lives for our health care he has stood up for our community our small businesses i mean black owned businesses his record is phenomenal so for no other reason we should vote no on the recall and so thank you all so much for welcoming him here to my home church because he knows that here in allen temple not only do we pray but we work so thank you again and may god bless you [Applause] [Music] amen while we are waiting the governor is here but i said i could have preached a little longer if i knew you was gonna have me preaching no homily what we have so many special guests that are with us i want to make sure that i acknowledge everybody so if you are visiting with allen temple today in whatever capacity you are in won't you stand so we can greet you properly amen [Applause] amen i know i've recognized some of you as well amen so we're gonna have to do all old school old school church so remember back in the day so you'll have to tell me because i don't know nobody in the mass so you have to tell me who you are and where you from amen we're expecting you assembly member mike gibson from southern california we thank god for you [Music] amen you not sneaking in sir you're not sneaking in that's not that's not how any of this works come on help me celebrate the presence of our governor governor gavin newsom we thank god for him [Music] i told them i could have preached a little longer and i know but we are so very grateful to have you here today we are going to wipe the pulpit down again and bring you forward but let me just say this to you publicly on behalf of all of our leadership and our membership welcome to allen temple baptist church and let me thank you because it was your work your advocacy your leadership at the state level and with cal oes that allowed us to have a partnership and a vaccination here where we've been able to vaccinate over 60 000 people there were people even though we were instrumental in working for the mass site that happened at the coliseum there was a constituency that was just not going to go and so we are so very grateful for your advocacy for your leadership for your commitment we love you you are amongst friends so you don't have to convince and preach to the choir we want you to know that we support you but we do want to hear from you around why this is so critical and more over the impact it can have for african-american people and so the church can tell you not even knowing this moment was going to take place that's not why we believe in divinity because they can tell you two weeks ago i stood on my head in the pulpit around how people use and manipulate us and how we have to be mindful of the way people attempt to manipulate us so we welcome you to our pulpit we're going to make sure that we wipe it down and we want to hear from you thank you again for being with us amen and then i know he won't mind y'all won't mind if we pray for them that before they leave is that all all right welcome good morning church now i know the pastor was just preaching about good trouble but i think i'm in real trouble being this late so forgive me all of you those of you with kids though may have a little empathy i got four of them and uh i wish i had three of them this morning because there was one that was acting out and forgive me for being late but uh i'm here uh you know it's been a hard year it's been a hard year and a half the empathy goes out not just to parents but to each and every one of you this has been hard the fear the anxiety the stress that so many are still feeling this has been hard and the pastor she's right she talks about how in moments like these there are people that want to divide us that want to manipulate that fear they want to manipulate that anxiety they want to take advantage they talk down to people talk past people try to put us in boxes but the bible teaches us we are many parts but one body and one one part suffers we all suffer no one said it better than dr king he said we're all bound together by a web of mutuality there's no leak on your side of our boat what makes us great is when we live together in advance and prosper together across every conceivable difference that's what makes us great it's not when we tolerate each other it's when we celebrate each other but there are forces of fear that try to manipulate and divide and none of us are naive about that allen temple's not naive about that that's why you created a spanish ministry reaching out the hispanic community because you have a deep recognition of the world we're living in we are living in the most diverse state in the world's most diverse democracy we are unmatched anywhere in the united states of america that's a point of deep pride but in 1994 you may recall the same forces that are alive today were alive here in the great state of california think about 1994 think about the choice you had on a ballot the xenophobia the nativism the fear of the other three strikes and you're out what was that about prop 187 the debate the raging debate uc regents the raging debate in 1994 was about eliminating affirmative action we were having a hard time tolerating each other let alone celebrating each other in 1994. we thought that was our history not our present but we've seen those dark forces return on only in the state but all across this country in the last four years the xenophobia the nativism the fear of the others [Applause] we told you all congresswoman barbara lee said this sermon gibson said this we all said this last november the most important election in our lifetime and it was true but we may have defeated a candidate but we didn't defeat his cause trump may have been defeated but trumpism is still alive all across this country those same forces have re-emerged even here in the state of california it's 1994 all over again the reason the reason that we have an election this year is because someone decided that he wasn't going to take it anymore he said he was sitting there watching tv blurry-eyed turned it on and he saw all these folks up there pushing back against what was happening in washington d.c he couldn't believe and he said he was going to do something about it he started to get a petition out there started to get people to sign that petition because he doesn't like the diversity in this state you don't like the fact we're trying to do more on health care and education regardless of your race and ethnicity and so he came forward and put a petition on the ballot and it's now on the ballot september 14. this is the same gentleman just because you think i may be exaggerating the person who put this on the ballot said he wants to microchip all immigrants in california i want to remind you church 27 of this state is foreign born he wants to microchip just to be fair let me use his words he wants to microchip immigrants because he says it works quote unquote for animal control that's what we're up against that manipulation pastor speaks of but we're better than this and this is our moment to express ourselves to reject that cynicism to reject that negativity to push back against those that want to divide us [Applause] look i'm proud of the state and i'm not naive i'm not naive about the challenges we face as a state and a nation none of us are naive about that but i'm proud to live in a state that's the only state in america that attaches itself to a dream there's the american dream and the california dream there is no other state that has a dream that's california a majority minority state a state of refuge a state at its best celebrates that diversity reconciles all those differences and yes stubbornly tries to do more and do better and we have a lot of work to do we're living in the richest and poorest state in our union we recognize our responsibility and so i'm here humbly you know not only as a father of four but as a guy who grew up in this community just across the bay someone mindful of our past our present but more importantly our potential not who we are but what we can be and so i ask you in the spirit that was expressed today by the pastor that spirit of citizenship and civics to be active not a nerd on september 14th to be fully participatory it has been said and i'll close that in a democracy the most important office it's not governor it's not congressman it's not assembly mayor in a democracy the most important office is office of citizens so i ask all of you church i ask you to be as scripture teaches us to be fully participatory to fight for the life of the city our state our nation and more importantly the world we're trying to build by expressing yourself loudly on september 14th by getting out and voting and rejecting the cynicism rejecting this fear and voting no on this recall thank you all very very much and please stay right stay right there stay right there governor stay right there let me give you an elbow you are not in trouble you're in good trouble again we are so very grateful that you came to speak to us today because alan temple baptist church knows that i don't do this this is not what i do but the reason i did it is because there are so many people who come through election time i grew up here we used to host them and they would come during election and we would never see them again but here is what you do not know every time i reached out to someone at the state level when we needed something here they responded [Applause] that is what let me know that we have someone different homegrown like i was came in two and a half years ago landed on a pandemic like i did so it has not been easy but we are grateful know there is a contingent that supports you and we will not leave because we are a people of faith congresswoman if you can join us there are other leaders that are here as well we're people of faith we believe in god and so we pray that is what we do i'm so very grateful for all of our deacons who came early who made sure our campus was set who served so that we can have this moment we know you have other places to be with friends and colleagues i descended from a people who when they didn't have government and they didn't have representation they had a faith [Music] and so we call on god right now in this moment and we thank you for your goodness to us even in the midst of pandemic times where it feels like all the world and the earth is in travail you are still good and you have blessed us i come in a ministry of intercession praying for leaders oh god i pray for our governor i pray for our congresswoman i pray for our council member i pray for those that are running every leader in this place because your word commands us to do so god you said that you would give us leaders after your own heart so i lift them before you now when i pray for your protection not just of their bodies but of their spirits and of their mind i speak strength to both of them to be able to withstand the fiery attacks that come every day oh god i speak peace to their spirits to give them to know that before you form them in their mother's womb you created them with purpose and they are living out their purpose even now and i declare that you are not through with them yet so we thank you in advance for victory we thank you for lives that will be changed because of their work we thank you for leading them and guiding them oh god be a reminder of what it was like growing up in marin be a reminder of those early days in texas oh god only you can lead us and guide us at this hour but i thank you for their voice and i thank you for their courage and i thank you that even when they stand alone you stand right up with them i thank you and i ask oh god that you continue to lead and guide and for those of us who are struggling with participation prick our hearts and give us to know we have responsibility if not for ourselves for our children for our grandchildren for generations that are unborn to leave them a nation in a world that is better than the ones that we inherited we thank you for it now and we believe it oh god and we declare don't lose heart god is with us in jesus [Music] now just a few things [Music] ushers in that regard we know that the governor is going to be with so we

Channel: Allen Temple Baptist Church

Views: 707

Rating: 5 out of 5

Keywords: Allen Temple Baptist Church, ministry, Oakland, community, Baptist Church, Christian Church, worship, gospel, preaching, prayer, praise, celebration, spiritual, Devotion, Sunday School, Bible Study

Id: 9NFi9DtXiSs

Length: 99min 15sec (5955 seconds)

Published: Sun Aug 29 2021