Note: As of July 3, 2009, only the RSS feeds on this blog will be updated so I can focus my energies on my 
TUCC streams its worships services live from http://www.tucc.org. They also have a YouTube Channel, but it does not seem to have been updated lately.
Watching Trinity United Church of Christ's morning service. Today the young people's choir is singing.
Song: "Because of who you are" Lyrics here: http://peaurl.com/lPzL Rev. Otis Moss: If you have your blueprint for salvation, I would ask that you turn to Joshua Chapter 1. (NIV) 1 After the death of Moses the servant of the LORD, the LORD said to Joshua son of Nun, Moses' aide: 2 "Moses my servant is dead. Now then, you and all these people, get ready to cross the Jordan River into the land I am about to give to them—to the Israelites.
Reads the whole first chapter. Focus on sermon: "Where do we go from here?"
Say to your neighbor:"We are living in a post-wilderness moment, but we live in a pre-Promised Land time." Say to another neighbor: "God has done great things, but He is not finished yet." Quotes James Weldon Johnson: Out from the gloomy past, 'Til now we stand at last/ Where the white gleam of our bright star is cast. Talks about the atmosphere of celebration and disbelief at the election of Barack Obama. The "promissory note" of the Emancipation Proclamation has been redeemed. Speaks of celebrations around the world. The Maori of New Zealand celebrating, South Africans doing the toi-toi, Kenyans dancing in the streets. Spoke of the tears of a 14 yo girl who realized that when she votes, it will be normal to have an African American president. However, he was disturbed to see that some are declaring that the struggle is over. He thinks the experience of Israel in Joshua relevant. In Joshua, the Israelites have come out of the wilderness, and only the elders have the memories of past oppressions. "Moses is dead; things have changed." Every year they have a "Moses holiday" and children recite the "Let my people go speech." Joshua becomes the leader of the Hebrew people. He is young; their is great economic hardship, but all seems right with the world. Many want to declare all social critique and action irrelevant. It is true that there is no more slavery, no more domestic terrorists in white sheets...they can see possibilities. But they are living in between yesterday and the promise of tomorrow. There is still work to do. Joshua can cross the Jordan into the Promised Land because he has the resources to do so. But liberation not based on the ability of one leader to cross into the Promised Land. It is based on whether people can follow him there. We must fight to make BO's election "not a cosmic coincidence" but a "historical trend." Joshua can tell us how we get there. But while living in a Joshua moment, we cannot forget the Moses generation. Joshua would not exist if it had not been for that generation. Our history is full of Moses people. Sojourner Truth.. Moses. Booker T. Washington... Moses. Septima Clark... Moses...long list of names Never think so highly of yourself that you believe your own hype as if you pulled yourself up by your own bootstraps. There was a time when you didn't have boots, didn't have straps didn't even have flip-flops. That is why it is important that the text says, "As I was with Moses, so I will be with you." (Joshua 1:5) That is why it important to have more than a knowledge of history. You must also have faith in God. You must know history and know God. When you have both, "you can be unashamed and unapologetic." It is time for people to cross into the Promised Land. "There are no haters at this moment." We must celebrate the success of others. We must understand that we have an investment in the success of our neighbors. Until we do that, we will be stuck in a post-wilderness, pre-Promised Land moment. "If God is blessing your neighbor, then Jesus is in the neighborhood." Just wait for Him to come your house. We must understand that there is a Moses generation, and we must have both our history and faith to lay claim to the Promised Land. "You have to see the victory before it happens." God is saying He has "handled this thing." "Wherever you put your foot it is yours." Story from a March on Washington: An elderly woman walked around the White House, praying and laying claim to the space. She laid claim to the space, saying God had prepared the place for her people. Native Americans have a rain dance that they do before the rain, in the belief that God is preparing the place for rain. Similarly, we have to learn to step with authority in the knowledge that God has prepared the space. We have to see the victory before it happens. It takes more work to fulfill the promise of freedom than it does to attain it. Our work is not done. Our dropout rate is 50%. We have a culture of children disrespecting their elders. Our HIV rate is rising. Let us not be satisfied until our sons are not in prison. Let us not be satisfied until some young men pull up their pants and some young women close their legs. God took a young man who sat in these pews who heard a preacher preach from this pulpit, and raised him to the White House. Perhaps another president is sitting here; I don't know. God is calling us collectively to do some great things. Doors of the church are open. After the benediction, the pianist starts playing Hail to the Chief, segueing into We Shall Overcome as the band joins in. I hope they get to play this at the Inauguration. It's beautiful. People are standing, clapping in time and singing quietly. Back to Hail to the Chief. They are now playing video montage that blends Obama campaign images with MLK, other historical figures. Now playing smooth jazz version of "People Get Ready." They will have another service starting in an hour.
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