Encountering Myself in Worship

I usually expect to encounter God when I join in worship. Hundreds gathered on Tuesday's Assembly worship to pray, sing, confess, hear scripture, and a sermon. The latter was brought by the Rev. Jin S. Kim, pastor of the Church of all Nations in Minneapolis. Kim is a Korean-American. The church is a new church development with the intent of having a membership of those from "all nations". It does. Euro-Americans is one of the smaller components with Korean, Latino, African, African American, Pacific Islanders making up the rest. No one ethnic group is more than 34% of the congregation.

The sermon was prophetic. Kim reminded the Euro-Americans that we will soon be a minority in America. Our church may stick out like a "sore thumb" on the religious demographic pages of the future when that happens.

As I listened to Jin Kim speak about the humility of living in the realities of our prejudices and racism, I encountered myself. Again. I recalled my early mentor, Nate.

I worked my way through college and seminary with the help of part time jobs in hospitals with ServiceMaster Hospital Corporation. I worked nights at the old Hanemann Hospital in Philadelphia. Nate was an African American co-worker. We took breaks together and at our 9 pm "dinner", we usually went across Broad Street to White Castle for hamburgers. Nate taught me about being black in America. He also taught me about being white in America. He told me that I was wealthy and priveleged. I responded that my family was poor, my father was "only" a mechanic in an oil refinery, and that I was paying my own way through school. He replied, "but you father has a job. You are in college. You have a job. How did you get this job, anyway?" I had to reply, "Because the president of the company is a family friend." (that he was a multi-millionaire went without saying). I was busted. In subsequent conversations that I still recall, Nate taught me that simply because I had white skin, I had access to power that he would never have. It took me years, but I learned that Nate was right.

Jin Kim pierced my heart anew. I must live humbly with such "power", sharing it with those who are on the margins of life. That's what Jesus did. And that's also the call to Jesus followers.

Thanks be to God.

Bob Anderson
Interim Pastor to Presbytery