Woke up this morning

I woke up, feeling brand new, I *churched* up, feeling my highs and my lows

So, the last two times I went to church out here (well the only two times I went to church out here) I went to lovely places in Brixton with my aunt. One was larger and named Ruach Ministries. Apparently there one of the larger Caribbean congregations in London and they even have broadcasted services. The other church was much smaller, but had a great vibe. It was called Heartbeat Ministries and they segued straight from an all age Sunday School into the service. The week I went to Heartbeat they had a guest preacher who was a former radio jockey turned minister. It was a good sermon on how God does not want you to be poor.

Lo and behold, today I had no plans to go to Brixton, but when I woke up decided to go to a service anyway. There's a church around the corner from me and its called The American Church in London. My thoughts: white people! short service! yes! Horrible to think upon waking up, but real. Non denominational churches with heavy caucasian participation tend to skip all the things that used to make me almost miss brunch my freshman year of college.

So i get to the church 1/2 hour late because I spent time contemplating whether or not to go and had to actually wake myself up and then proceeded to walk further than I had to not remembering it was just around the corner, and there's this black lady at the stand talking on and on about someone involved with the Civil Rights movement. My first thought was confusion. The pastor on the website was obviously a white man. Maybe this was a guest minister. What does this long story have to do with the sermon? Then she mentioned Reverend Jackson. I thought this was one of those moments of a case of mistaken identity. But in the front row I saw the back of a black man's head who had soft hair. Could it be? I wonder if he'll say the word souf instead of south so I can laugh. Did he see what they wrote about him on YBF?

Yes ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, I just saw Jesse Jackson preach in London by accident. The sermon was a good one, although it was a bit difficult for me to follow at first...perhaps because I was replaying the Different World episode in my head. Anyway he spoke about the need for governments and Christians to help those at the bottom. He had an analogy to how ships sink from holes in the bottom, not at the top. He also spoke out against the war against weapons of mass destruction, when more civilians harm themselves and others with weapons because of lax gun laws It wasn't a blame the poor sermon, but more of a help everyone out kind of thing.

Still, throughout the sermon I couldn't help but start putting things together. Why do most black candidates for President arise out of the Chi? I'm obviously excluding Rev. Al...but I don't think many people took that seriously and well Shirley Chisolm is in a league of her own. Is there a curse on politicians living in Illinois? Why was Carol Moseley Braun such a horrid public speaker at the event she did at school? Thank God no one has done Obama comparisons to her yet...well at least that I know of.


Sadly, Jesse Jackson couldn't stick around for the coffee hour afterwards, and I wasn't going to start bothering the lady who knew him. I really had nothing to say to him except ask him about the party or what that episode of A Different World was like. I should have stuck around for coffee hour tho...I'm hungry...time to go eat a meal, since I haven't yet for the day.


Ahh...see God rewards you when you wake up for church.