As much as I enjoy visiting our many wonderful congregations in the Baton Rouge area, I make a point to do the same when I’m out of town — whether traveling for business or pleasure — on Sunday mornings.
Last week, I had the blessed pleasure of attending worship at the historic Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta — famously once co-pastored by Martin Luther King Jr. I was deeply moved by a powerful message titled "Sit Down, Sis," delivered by the Rev. Neichelle Guidry, a dynamic preacher with deep family roots in the Opelousas area.
Guidry grew up in Texas and graduated from Clark Atlanta University, Yale Divinity School and has a Ph.D. from Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary in Illinois.
The first time I visited Ebenezer with my family more than 25 years ago, we were startled at the obvious and heavy security presence to enter a House of God. We later learned the horrific story of a gunman who opened fire during a service on June 30, 1974, killing King's mother and a deacon.
I've returned to the church several times since. It's one of my favorite churches to attend in the Atlanta area and one in which I highly recommend for several reasons. Chief among them, of course, is the church's rich history dating back to its founding in 1886 and its status in the "Sweet Auburn" community of Atlanta and the world. It served as a focal point for the Civil Rights Movement.
The present church, erected in 1999, is referred to as the Horizon Sanctuary. It is located on the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site, which is composed of several buildings located around King's childhood home.
The 1,700-seat Horizon Sanctuary abuts the Martin Luther Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change and sits across the street from the original Ebenezer, which is part of the National Register of Historical Sites. The area draws nearly a million visitors a year.
Ebenezer is a traditional Black Baptist church that never seems to disappoint with its worship experience and welcoming environment. Last week's service featured the choir offering a beautiful rendition of "How Great Thou Art" among several wonderful selections and the band performing an magnificent instrumental medley.
Then, there's the preaching, led by Senior Pastor and Democratic U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock. In the tradition of Dr. King and other predecessors, Warnock continues to preach hard on such issues such as social justice and racial equity.
In her uplifting message, "Sit Down, Sis," from Luke 10:38-42, Guidry directed her words primarily toward women, but it could very well apply to all of us.
The sermon centered on sisters Martha and Mary, who welcomed their friend Jesus into their home. Martha worked so diligently to prepare for Jesus that she nearly missed him.
Martha represents those who have grown "tired" by the busyness of life and may be anxious, stressed and overwhelmed.
"We have been standing for so long, and we have been standing so strong, and we have been standing unwaveringly," Guidry said. "It's high time that some of us sit down — not as an act of giving up. Not as an act of turning our backs on our communities. Not as an act of ignoring the pain around us. Not as an act of resignation. … You might be in for a sitting season, so God can heal you, so God can restore you. So God can turn things around."
Guidry, who grew up in Texas with family from the Opelousas area, said Jesus' presence may have saved Martha's life.
"Jesus is in this room today to intervene on some Martha in the sanctuary, a full-on intervention for the stressed-out sister. He's here because he loves you too much to leave you in this frazzled condition," Guidry said.
Martha nearly missed her opportunity.
"Somewhere along the line, Martha began doing so much to serve Jesus that Jesus could not longer serve her," Guidry said. "We've got to be careful not to cross the line where our worship becomes our work, and our work becomes a distraction that keeps us from the feet of Jesus."
Guidry said Mary, on the other hand, broke social norms as a woman during 1st-century Palestine to rest at Jesus' feet as a student.
"I don't think we talk about his feet enough, because this is a place of surrender and stillness," Guidry said. "This is the place of simplicity. This is the place of revelation. His feet is where Mary could listen and she could learn. The feet of Jesus was where she could pause from her doing and simply rest in her being."
Another good word. Another excellent Ebenezer experience.
For more information, go to www.ebenezeratl.org.