“We have, I fear, confused power with greatness.” ~ Stewart Udall.

The year after Jamaica attained Independence from the colonial power of Britain, my father bravely (with his entire family and all our worldly goods) took us across the Atlantic Ocean to the Caribbean island of Jamaica.  I was the youngest, so I had very little to say, apart from going along for the ride.  He was heading for the center of the island, to a job combining his calling to be a minister of the Congregational church with being chaplain and part-time teacher at the local high school.

He was to stay there with his wife for another 23 years.  One year, he was approached by one of the national radio stations, and plans were made to broadcast the church service live from his church in Chapelton.  What excitement! The choir was rehearsed extra hard; hymns, readings, all carefully chosen.  I don’t know how long it took him to prepare his sermon, but it may be the only sermon that I can recall.  After he died we found a list he had made (my mother saved all of his scribblings; notes for sermons; letters; a host of papers!) of themes for sermons. There were about twelve of them.

His sermon that Sunday was on the topic of greatness. ‘Who among these is great?’  I don’t remember all of the details, but he first spoke about one of the Bible ‘greats’: Herod the Great.  How did he deserve that title? That I don’t recall.  Nor do I remember all of his examples of people he had met in and around Chapelton that he felt were far more deserving of the title.

The one I do remember was the lady who, as she lay dying in the hospital, begged the doctor to discharge her home.  The doctor, who was well-known for his unpolished style of speaking (some may say brusque; rude; at times profane!) said ‘But you’re dying, woman!’.  ‘Yes’, she told him, ‘but my family is poor.  To go home in a taxi is $5.  To carry a dead body is $50.  Let me go home in a taxi.’  He discharged her. 

But this concept of greatness is misleading.  What does it take to earn such a title? In sports and music we often see the acronym G.O.A.T. – greatest of all time.  In a competitive field where your performance is measured in speed, or albums sold, I guess you have numbers that can point to being the best, the fastest, the most platinum records, but what does it take to be the greatest human being you can be?

I have two character flaws that are forever getting in my way.  In fact, one of the alternate titles that I thought of using for today’s message is ‘Impatient procrastinator’.  It is ridiculous to be both impatient and a procrastinator, for often it is the procrastination that results in things not happening when they should.  I have no explanation for some of the things that I just cannot get around to doing, at times I wait so long that I risk jeopardizing the outcome.  And yet.  I read once about the art of ‘productive procrastination’, when the delay actually results in better outcomes as an idea comes to you as you are avoiding doing something.  But for me I fear that it is that I am too ‘idle’, just not having the urge to get the job done.

Recently, on a page I follow in my social media scrolling, I saw a picture of an old building in Jamaica.  Built in the 19^th century, the name of the home ended in the initials G.H.  Great House.  A title given to plantation homes, the homes of the wealthy, who made their money off the (literally) blood, sweat and tears of enslaved Africans.  And I wondered at the stories the house could have told.  In the UK you can tour fabulous ‘Stately Homes’, many of them maintained at great cost, displaying art and fine furnishings, stunning in their décor and splendor.  At what cost?  For whether the money was spent in Jamaica or sent home to the UK, the source of the family wealth has its roots in the exploitation of human beings, not once but over and over again lasting centuries.

Yes, we must face the facts, the history of this world is full of tragic tales of exploitation, cruelty and inhumanity, and unfortunately there has been a supreme imbalance of power, usually with one race asserting its privilege and power over the others.  And yes, we cannot move forward until we acknowledge that the imbalance of power continues and will continue unless it is addressed openly.  Rewriting history and banning books cannot change the truth: we must know history in order to avoid repeating it.

There is an African American professor of History in South Florida (Dr. Marvin Dunn) who has been taking busloads of interested people (mostly young African Americans) on bus tours around Florida.  Called ‘Teach the Truth’ tours, these are the counter to the disinformation and lies that are spread elsewhere.  One stop on his tour is at Rosewood (a free Black town that was massacred 100 years ago, please look it up), and he has bought land there to try to reclaim and protect the history.  Last year as he visited the area with some friends, he was confronted by an angry white man who hurled epithets and tried to attack them with his truck.  This week that man was convicted by a jury of his peers, an all-white jury in a county which has a long history of racism and lynchings.  Lady Justice was not sleeping. 

There is much we need to do to claim the title of ‘Great’, whether it is as a nation, or the human race.  This Friday morning, I hope you will not be an impatient procrastinator like me, but will find yourself willing to fight for the cause of leaving this planet a better place than you found it.

Have a wonderful weekend, Family!

One Love!

Namaste.