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Black History Month

Take a moment to read this familiar verse:  "Now there were in the church at Antioch prophets and teachers, Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen a lifelong friend of Herod the tetrarch, and Saul." (Acts 13:1 ESV)

Now read this statement by Thomas Oden:
"Ponder this as if with African eyes: Mark, Lucius of Cyrene and [Simeon] were all together in Antioch, praying and fasting and participating in the Spirit’s mission to send chosen vessels for the first missionary journey. Note that this African core of missionaries preceded Paul in gospel witness. In fact they ordained Paul (Acts 13:3)." (Thomas Oden, How Africa Shaped the Christian Mind: Rediscovering the African Seedbed of Western Christianity)

Oden asks us to consider the centrality of African Christians in the work of the Holy Spirit at Antioch.

Black History Month offers an opportunity to celebrate the Holy Spirit's work and remember that, as in Antioch, Black leaders have always been at the center of the Holy Spirit's work in the United States, not at its periphery. Consider three such leaders. Pastor William Seymour moved to Los Angeles in 1906 and led a series of revival meetings at the Apostolic Faith Gospel Mission on Azusa Street. The Los Angeles Times described the meetings as "a weird babel of tongues," but the Holy Spirit sparked a worldwide Pentecostal revival that now has an estimated 500 million adherents. In 1856, Bridget "Biddy" Mason sued for and won her freedom. A nurse and midwife, Mason became a prominent land owner and philanthropist. She donated the land and founded the First A.M.E. Church of Los Angeles. And we all know how the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King (along with countless other Christians) led the Civil Rights Movement that transformed laws and pushed the United States in the direction of equality.

This reflection is offered as a humble reminder to take the opportunity to learn about Black history and to consider growing in understanding, or teaching others, about God's work in and through Black Christians.

Notes: There are many resources for information on African Christianity (both historical and contemporary), but the Dictionary of African Christian Biography, provided material for this piece. Here's a kids article on Biddy Mason.