From the Pastor’s Desk

“We who believe in Freedom cannot rest until it comes” Sweet Honey in the Rock

The month of June is filled with events and celebrations that both cry out and give thanks for liberation and freedom. June is Pride month, and all month we celebrate pride of who we are as LGBTQIA persons and allies. Last Sunday we celebrated Juneteenth, the time period that enslaved Africans in Texas learned that the emancipation proclamation that had been signed 2.5 years prior meant that they were free. Throughout the month, we commemorate those who fought for freedom as we continue efforts to maintain the liberties that should be granted to all.

This month, we also had a devastating blow to our notion of freedom. On Friday, the Supreme Court overturned the Roe v Wade case, which in 1973 determined that the Constitution of the United States generally protects a pregnant woman’s liberty to choose to have an abortion. This new ruling sends the decision about abortion related laws back to the states. Some states are already position to change their laws to disfavor women’s choices over their own bodies. Friday’s ruling takes away women’s agency over our own bodies and takes us back more than fifty years in our fight for women’s rights to choose. 

As we close out the month of June we can still celebrate, but we must continue to stand for freedom. Stand for freedom at the polls, in phone calls to your legislatures, in conversations with those that you mentor, and in all of the ways that you can. We cannot stop fighting for justice and freedom, even when instances Friday’s decision highlight how temporal freedom granted through our highest courts can be.

Today’s epistle reading reminds us that “it is for freedom’s sake that we are free” (Galatians 5:1), and as Sweet Honey in the Rock reminded us, “We who believe in Freedom cannot rest until it comes.”

Rev. Elder D. Parrish-Harris, Pastor

Unity Fellowship Church of Columbia, MD

Musings on John 5:1-9

We have read and/or heard the story of the man at the pool many times. We know that Jesus worked many miracles in his time, certainly many more than those recorded in the Gospels. This story touches me today in a different way from the way it has in the past. What stood out for me in today’s reading is the great respect that Jesus demonstrated when he approached the man. When Jesus met the man at the pool, he did something very interesting. He asked the man, “Do you want to be made well?” Jesus made no assumptions about the man’s desires, no assumptions about his health condition, not even assumptions about what may have seemed obvious. I suppose Jesus could have healed the man when he saw the man lying near the pool. Jesus could have even offered to help the man get to the pool that was known for its healing properties.  Instead, Jesus asked the man whether the man wanted to be healed. The man’s answer, though not a direct answer according to our reading, did affirm his desire to be healed. Once the man responded with the reasons why he was unable to get to the pool, Jesus told him to pick up his bed and walk. The man got up, walked, and became another example of God’s miraculous healing power. The miracle, however, took deliberate action, not on Jesus’s part, but on the man’s part.

Just like the individual at the pool, our miracles will be activated by our own action. Many times, we expect a miracle to happen, but we do not get up to take the action steps necessary to manifest our miracles. Even those of us who often say that we have faith, neglect to see the role of our own action in the fulfillment of our miracles. I invite you this week to think about your answer to that question. “Do you want to be healed?” And if your answer is yes, step out on faith, pick up your bed and walk. Your miracle will begin with you taking deliberate action.

Rev. Elder D. Parrish-Harris, Pastor

Unity Fellowship Church of Columbia, Maryland

My granddaughter Grace is 13 months old and as the doting grandmother, I love watching her grow. Babies learn so much in their first two years and I find it amazing to not only watch her learn, but I also find it quite fascinating to identify lessons that adults can learn from the learning processes of babies.

Grace is a curious, expressive, and excitable toddler who seems to find great joy in exploring the world around her. She is walking without assistance, and is quite verbally expressive although she has not quite trained the adults to understand all of her words. This weekend we babysat while her parents spent some a few hours away from Grace. I prepared for her visit by baking butternut squash and chicken wings (two of her favorites) and by having some toys available for her. I also learned of her love for the movie Encanto, and the show Daniel Tiger and had them queued up for the appropriate time. What I was not prepared for was her desire to demonstrate her stair climbing skills. When she toddled to the staircase, we redirected her as we were unaware that she had already begun experimenting with climbing stairs. When we told her “no” and redirected her, she walked away from the stairs, babbled something quite expressively, and then laughed loudly while flailing her arms. When her parents returned, Grace found her way back to the stairs. Her parents patiently and carefully encouraged and supported her as she climbed the stairs. As she ascended the stairs, she turned to look at us through the railings, babbled full expressions again and laughed like she did when her parents were away. We do not know what she said or what she was thinking, but it was clear that she knew all along what we had yet to learn…that she already had the skills to climb the stairs. She did not resist us when we discouraged her earlier attempt. But when her parents were in the room, she showed us what she could do, and may have even laughed at us.

There is indeed a lesson in this experience. There will be many times when people will try to discourage you from doing something that you know that you can do. Others may doubt or question your abilities or skill. Some will even tell you that you cannot do something that you have already started. There is no need to argue with them, and no need to try to change their minds. Like Grace, just walk away and laugh. You know your accomplishments, you know your worth. When the opportunity presents itself, continue to climb. When you reach your goals, celebrate your own victories. And maybe even have a good laugh. Be like Grace.