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"I don’t need a crowd to preach"
PHILADELPHIA (March 17, 2004) – The weather may have discouraged attendance, but it couldn’t keep the spirit from moving through Janes United Methodist Church last night. "Only God can let it snow one minute, rain the next, sleet another, and then let it stop altogether," remarked host Pastor Ralph Blanks, beginning the third of seven Preaching With Power events this week. The Rev. Dr. Harold D. Lewis, senior pastor of Lincoln Park United Methodist Church in Washington, DC, began by stating his "ground rules" for his style of preaching. "I don’t need a crowd to preach…just me and the Holy Ghost is fine…and you don’t have to say ‘Amen.’ But, there is a rule I have at Lincoln Park: If you encourage me and are a responsive congregation, we get to go home sooner." That said, the heart of his sermon found its inspiration in Hebrews 11:1: "Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen." His title came from Mark 11:22 when Jesus simply says, "Have faith in God." The sermonic journey started with a little history lesson. Lewis recounted the origin of the book of Hebrews, and the context in which the book was written, reminding the congregation that the book’s author is still unknown. He illustrated the prophets of the time being persecuted, and confirmed that through their trials, the people of that era knew to have faith that a resolution was near. Lewis then compared the "times of trial" for the Romans with a story of an older southern woman. This woman, a domestic worker who couldn’t read or write, received a letter from her only son in Chicago that he was dying and didn’t have much time left. She asked her boss for a loan to visit her son, only to be turned down. In a prayerful moment, the southern woman heard a message from God urging her to get on a train. With no ticket, money, or friends, she was eventually forced off the train when questioned by the ticket taker. Feeling hopeless, she prayed again, and through God’s intervention, was allowed to board the train and continue the journey. "Stay on the train and have faith!" Lewis proclaimed. "Faith is the oil that takes the friction out of living."
In the "afterglow" session after the sermon, Lewis went into his church relationship. He believes you come to the church in three possible ways: drafted like Moses, predestined like Jeremiah, or as a volunteer like Isaiah. "I was predestined to serve God. My name translates to ‘a great warrior and leader of the saints,’ so I believe it was always my calling. I was in the army, and working for the church was not my intention, but God had a plan for me." Lewis, a native of Greenwood, MS, credits his grandmother as his "first theologian." Using her example with children as a model, he has entered into a partnership with Maury Elementary School in Northeast, Washington, DC, and is the founder and CEO of MAGIC: Motivating and Affirming the Genius In Children, a non-profit organization. It was awarded $1.6 million to work with socially deprived children. |
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