PODCAST - Press sideways triangle below to
listen
Tuesday of the 1st Week of the Year
January 12, 2016
KESHIA TO THE RESCUE ++++++++++++++++++++++++
Ø 20 years ago
there was a moving incident in Ann Arbor, Michigan
Ø 300 hundred
people were protesting a rally by 17 members of the Ku Klux Klan
Ø The
anti-Klan protesters spotted a white man standing on the side wearing
Confederate flags on his vest and t-shirt
Ø 1 of
protesters hit the man w/ a sign & a group of them pushed him down &
began beating him
Ø A
19-year-old black woman named Keshia Thomas saw this happening
Ø She threw
herself over the fallen man and protected him from the kicks and punches
Ø Thanks to
Keshia, police were able to step in, disperse the crowd and rescue the man
Ø Amazingly,
he suffered only bloody nose, and all becz of this black young adult Keshia Thomas
KESHIA’S WORDS +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Ø She later
said, “You don’t beat up a man because he
doesn’t believe the same things you do
Ø “He’s still somebody’s child”
Ø Incident &
words of a 19-year-old changed many hearts that day, including man she
protected
WORDS FOR US ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Ø I suggest
this is a current modern-day story of casting out unclean spirits
Ø J casts out
unclean spirit from man in synagogue
Ø Keshia
Thomas cast out the unclean spirits of racism & violence by her courage and
compassion
Ø There’re
unclean spirits we encounter: hateful words, bigotry toward certain groups,
insensitivity 2 those who lack basic needs, & so on
Ø We, like J
& young black woman, cast out these spirits: by act of kindness, speaking
for what is right & fair & just, being inclusive of others
Ø So, it
doesn’t have 2B J in Gospels or something as extraordinary as incident in
Michigan
CONCLUSION ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Ø The Gospel
today wants us to realize that we too can cast out unclean spirits.
Ø Jesus
empowers us to do that too.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
