News & Announcements

Rev. Dr. Ronald M. Braxton, Senior Pastor, Metropolitan AME Church
Sunday, March 7, 2010
www.metropolitanamec.org

Scripture Lesson: Psalm 63: 1-9. A psalm of David. When he was in the Desert of Judah. 1 O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you, in a dry and weary land where there is no water. 2I have seen you in the sanctuary and beheld your power and your glory. 3Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you. 4I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands. 5My soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods; with singing lips my mouth will praise you. 6 On my bed I remember you; I think of you through the watches of the night. 7 Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings. My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me.9 They who seek my life will be destroyed; they will go down to the depths of the earth.
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The Commentary on the scripture provides the background in which David, a young lad before he was king, had become a great warrior in Saul’s court. King Saul was jealous about David being a better warrior than he was. His mind was playing tricks on him – stable one minute, in a rage the next; he kept trying to kill David – he even sent an army after him. He seemed to be suffering from bipolar disorder, or maybe he was dealing with the early onset of Alzheimer’s. In any event, David fled into the desert to escape King Saul’s wrath. There, he moved from place to place. He needed food, shelter, water; he was afraid for his life; he was dehydrated and hungry. In the scripture, David is recalling what this experience in the desert was like. He equates his hunger and thirst to a hunger and thirst for GOD.

Brothers and Sisters, we are living in a big world – big accomplishments, big portfolios, big master bedrooms, big screen TVs, big appetites, March Madness, the SUPERbowl, MEGAmillions – not just the lottery: POWERBALL. We live in a robust, big-craving society. We measure our churches by the size of the building, the choir, the membership, the usher board, the pastoral staff. We don’t talk about country churches anymore. The only thing that matters is the MEGA-church, not the size of our ministry. The scripture provides insight on how the presence of God in your life can more than satisfy your hunger and thirst.

1. Only the presence of God in your life can satisfy your hunger and thirst. I submit that our quest for the “big” things is actually a craving for a BIGGER GOD. We are vulnerable creatures, always searching. Ours is a “bipolar” world – sunshine one day, blizzard, earthquake, tsunami-type waves the next . Exercising every day – then your heart stops. At a point, in the midst of all this craving for BIG things, the only thing that will matter is a God who is accessible.

In verse 5, the Psalmist says his soul will only be satisfied with the richest food – such as a prime rib so tender you don’t need a knife. Only God can satisfy your craving for such things. What would your world be like if you just hungered and thirsted for the presence of God in your life? “Blessed are you when you hunger and thirst for God,” for only He can satisfy your craving.

2. God not only satisfies your big hunger and thirst, but when you seek Him, He provides more than you can ask for. The Psalmist found himself drinking the glory of the generosity of a living God. I thought I was living big, but I’m really living now. We don’t know joy until God shows up in our lives. We don’t know joy in our lives until we can declare “He walks with me and He talks with me, and He tells me I am His own.”

If you take the first step outside your door, God walks with you the whole way. He has already gone ahead and will be where you are trying to get to. Psalm 23: “He prepares a table for me in the presence of my enemies…my cup overflows.” When God shows up in my life, my cup runs over. When God is present, I can reach up through this wilderness and praise Him.

When God is present in your life, it’s time to show praise, to bring forth refreshment, to CELEBRATE. Because He has always stood up for me, I’m not going to wait for the doctor’s report, for Congress to pass a healthcare bill, for the renovations to be complete; I’m going to show praises while the scaffolding is still up, while the floors are still being worked on! After all I’ve been through – after I’ve been “sometimes up, sometimes down, sometimes level to the ground” – when I look back over my life and see how good God has been to me, I know it’s time to shout!

Guest Minister: Rev. Geoffrey Tate, Jr., Pastor
St. Mark AME Church, Wilkinsburg, PA
Metropolitan AME Church
Sunday, February 28, 2010
www.metropolitanamec.org

Scripture Lesson: Nehemiah 1:1-9 “Nehemiah’s Prayer”: 1The words of Nehemiah son of Hacaliah: In the month of Kislev in the twentieth year, while I was in the citadel of Susa, 2 Hanani, one of my brothers, came from Judah with some other men, and I questioned them about the Jewish remnant that survived the exile, and also about Jerusalem.  3 They said to me, “Those who survived the exile and are back in the province are in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates have been burned with fire.”  4 When I heard these things, I sat down and wept. For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven. 5 Then I said: “O LORD, God of heaven, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with those who love him and obey his commands, 6 let your ear be attentive and your eyes open to hear the prayer your servant is praying before you day and night for your servants, the people of Israel. I confess the sins we Israelites, including myself and my father’s house, have committed against you. 7 We have acted very wickedly toward you. We have not obeyed the commands, decrees and laws you gave your servant Moses.  8 “Remember the instruction you gave your servant Moses, saying, ‘If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the nations, 9 but if you return to me and obey my commands, then even if your exiled people are at the farthest horizon, I will gather them from there and bring them to the place I have chosen as a dwelling for my Name.’ _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
As sinners, we are born in debt; not financial debt, but debt due to the mistakes of others. Someone in our family lineage didn’t “do right”. Then the descendants inherited it, and they passed it down to the next generation – a generation that can choose to CORRECT it, or hand down the debts of the past to the NEXT generation.

Most people run from the prospect of trying to correct the mistakes of the past. But before we can build on our future, we must learn from our past mistakes and failures. It is a lonely path, filled with hurt and pain, and dark places we would rather forget.

Some of us are unable to move forward because of what someone said or did to us – our father walked out, our mother had her own agenda and was not focused on us as a child. But we can CHOOSE to: 1) stay defeated, or 2) rise above our situation.

There are a number of great people in our history who did not allow their realities to hinder their destiny – people like Harriet Tubman – whose determination led to her discovery of a pathway to freedom; she took 19 trips on what we know as the “underground railroad”. And Jarena Lee who, despite the injustices within the church, went on to become the first female AME preacher. Frederick Douglass, the forerunner of the abolitionist movement; dynamic speaker and writer, publisher of the North Star newspaper, advisor to President Abraham Lincoln, who helped to change voting rights for former slaves. There’s Rosa Parks, Bishop Vashti MacKenzie (first female AME Bishop), and of course Barack Obama, the first Black President of the United States.

No matter who we are, we are all living in the aftermath of our family’s inheritance. But your destiny is not determined by the negativity of your past. You can rise up from the oppression and depression of your past.

Listen to the words of Nehemiah’s prayer for his people (verses 5-9): 5 Then I said: “O LORD, God of heaven, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with those who love him and obey his commands, 6 let your ear be attentive and your eyes open to hear the prayer your servant is praying before you day and night for your servants, the people of Israel. I confess the sins we Israelites, including myself and my father’s house, have committed against you. 7 We have acted very wickedly toward you. We have not obeyed the commands, decrees and laws you gave your servant Moses.  8 “Remember the instruction you gave your servant Moses, saying, ‘If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the nations, 9 but if you return to me and obey my commands, then even if your exiled people are at the farthest horizon, I will gather them from there and bring them to the place I have chosen as a dwelling for my Name.’

Nehemiah’s name means “comfort of the Lord”. The lesson of Nehemiah’s prayer is: acknowledge, reflect, learn, and move forward. He had to reflect on the past before he could move forward.

Nehemiah teaches: As we reflect on our past, we must carry our concerns to God in prayer. Don’t blame a person who may have been responsible for your pain. Nehemiah asked God to forgive his father, and his father’s fathers, and himself. The lesson we must learn from Nehemiah is to forgive those who hurt us in the past. Don’t walk around upset because of what your Daddy did, what your Mother didn’t do, the neighborhood you grew up in. Take a lesson from Nehemiah and “cast all your cares upon the Lord.”

In his book, Up From Slavery, Booker T Washington tells the story of the coarse shirt made of flax that slaves were forced to wear, and the agony he endured as a slave boy the first time he had to put on a new flax shirt. Aware of his little brother’s discomfort, his older brother broke-in Booker T’s flax shirt for him.

Brothers and Sisters, Jesus tried on your flax shirt for you. He loves you so much. He put on your flax shirt and he carried that flax shirt all the way to Calvary, dragging your burdens, your sins, and your distress with him.

You can remain defeated, or you can choose to rise above the disparity of your situation. No matter what life brings your way, know that you can be “more than a conqueror”.

We were all BORN IN DEBT; we have all fallen short. But Jesus paid our debts of sin and we walk in victory!

Rev. Dr. Marie P. Braxton, Asst Pastor
Metropolitan AME Church
Sunday, February 21, 2010
www.metropolitanamec.org

Scripture Lesson: Luke 4:1-13The Temptation of Jesus  1Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the desert, 2where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry.  3The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.”  4Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man does not live on bread alone.’”  5The devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. 6And he said to him, “I will give you all their authority and splendor, for it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to. 7So if you worship me, it will all be yours.”  8Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.’”  9The devil led him to Jerusalem and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down from here. 10For it is written:  ” ‘He will command his angels concerning you to guard you carefully; 11they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’” 12Jesus answered, “It says: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”  13When the devil had finished all this tempting, he left him until an opportune time.

The scripture Luke 4:1-13 is a traditional reading for the first Sunday in Lent. The passage, addressing the temptation of Jesus, is a widely used and familiar text. The setting is the wilderness of the Judean desert, near Jerusalem. Jesus was led to the desert by the Holy Spirit where he was tested for 40 days. In the Bible, 40 days represents a very long time. He had been on a food fast, and he was very hungry. In the scripture, which is titled “The Temptation of Jesus”, Jesus underwent at least three tests from the devil during that 40 day period.

1. The Test of Self-Sufficiency. Test #1, is found in verse 3 where the devil says: “If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.” The devil is so cunning; he acts as if he cares about Jesus’ hunger. But Jesus replied: “Man does not live by bread alone.” The temptation of test #1 is: SELF SUFFICIENCY – meaning that you think you can depend on yourself and your own resources. We tend to think of self-sufficiency as a virtue; we teach our children to be self-sufficient. But beware: self-sufficiency is a sneaky temptation. If you make it your altar, if you make it your exclusive aim, you have no need for your family, no need for your church, no need for your community, no need for GOD. You are worshipping SELF. You must surrender yourself to God; you must trust Him, rely on Him. You must beware of the temptation of self-sufficiency.

2. The Test of Power. Test #2 is found in verses 5-7: “The devil led Jesus to a high place; he showed him all the kingdoms of the world and said: ‘If you worship me, I will give you power over all these kingdoms.’” The temptation of test #2 is the temptation of POWER. In our daily lives, we usually want power on a smaller scale than what is represented in the scripture. I wish I had power over where my husband leaves his shoes, all lined up in our bedroom instead of in our closet. I wish I had power over the rush hour traffic, with a lane all to myself. In the scripture, Jesus answers the devil with a quote from Deuteronomy 6:13: “It is written: ‘Worship the Lord and serve Him only.’” Only God is almighty, all-knowing, ever-present, perfect, righteous, just, true, and everlasting. As the hymn goes: “God is the joy and the strength of my life…He is my all and all.”

3. The Test of Invulnerability. Test #3 is found in verses 9-12. The devil leads Jesus to Jerusalem, quoting Psalm 91: 11-12, he says: “If you are the son of God, throw yourself down from here; if you are truly the son of God, the angels will protect you.” The temptation of test #3 is the temptation of INVULNERABILITY. Some of us think our health, our wealth, our assets, etc. have made us invulnerable. But now we are facing unemployment, foreclosure, loss of healthcare, etc. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to be invulnerable? To not be exposed to life’s hurts and disappointments? In fact, it doesn’t matter who we are or what we have: we will all experience trials and tribulations, good and bad days, rough mountains, storms. But through it all, I have learned to trust in Jesus. Jesus responded to this 3rd temptation quoting Deuteronomy 6:16: “Do not put the Lord your God to the test.” After that, the devil finally backed off, and went away.

This famed passage warns us to be wary of the temptations of self-sufficiency, power, and invulnerability. But take a look at verse 13: “When the devil had finished all this tempting, he left Jesus alone until an opportune time.”

Don’t get too comfortable thinking you have defeated the devil, because HE WILL BE BACK. He will be back with more lies to tell, to rob and steal. You can go through your fasting, praying, singing, and shaking him off, but he will be back to attack you at your weakest point. He will come back and attack you through your husband, through your wife, through your children, through your grandchildren, through your friend, through your neighbor, through your boss.

And when he comes back, when temptation comes, be sure you are anchored – in the Lord, in worship, in prayer, in the Bible.

Wednesday, February 17 – Ash Wednesday
12:00 pm – Pastor Braxton
7:30 pm – Rev. Marie Braxton
Choir: Cathedral Choir

Wednesday, February 24
12:00 pm – Rev. Kimberly Barnes
7:30 pm – Rev. Rodney Barnes
Choir: Metro Aires

Wednesday, March 3
12:00 pm – Rev. Kimberly Barnes
7:30 pm – Rev. Aisha Karimah
Choir: Men’s Choir

Wednesday, March 10
12:00 pm – Rev. Kimberly Barnes
7:30 pm – Guest Preacher
Choir: Voices of Inspiration

Wednesday, March 17
12:00pm – Rev. Kimberly Barnes
7:30pm – Rev. Charles Sembly
Choir: Voices of Inspiration/Guest choir

Wednesday, March 24
12:00 pm – Rev. Kimberly Barnes
7:30 pm – Guest preacher
Choir: Cathedral Choir

Wednesday, March 31
12:00 & 7:30 pm- Rev. Kimberly Barnes
Choir: Men’s Choir

Download the 2010 Lenten Book.

The devotions in this booklet were written by the people of Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal Church, a community of believers. Writing and distributing the booklet have become an important ministry of the Commission on Christian Education.

These reflections are our gift to you. Our hope is that you will find the scripture, thoughts and prayers helpful as you experience this season of Lent.

This collection of thoughts and prayers come from a variety of perspectives. Each serves as a testimony to the writer’s desire to share his/her spiritual journey. Through these devotions you get a glimpse of our Metropolitan family’s efforts to follow the teachings of Jesus.

We hope you will find this booklet useful as a rich resource for your daily devotions. We invite you to begin by using the guide on pages 46-47 to chart your spiritual journey through Lent and on to the glory of Easter.

May God Bless You!

Dr. Yvonne L. Bolling
Director, Commission on Christian Education

Steward Elsie Scott

Steward Elsie Scott will be awarded a Living Hope Award by Greater Mt. Nebo AME Church in Bowie, MD during the 11:00 am service, Sun, Feb 21.

“If I touch the hem of His garment, then I will be healed” Matthew 9: 20-21

Limited Edition Lithograph Commissioned by Metropolitan A.M.E. Church, Washington, D.C. – “A Women’s Season” Celebration, 2004

Edition Size 900,  Artist Proofs 99,  Image Size 21” x 28”
Signed & Numbered,* Price $150.00 Artist Proofs $200.00

Please Call (202) 832-0067 to purchase this beautiful print today.
Ramee Art Gallery
606C Rhode Island Ave., NE
Washington, DC 20002

Limited time SPECIAL when purchased together:
PRINTS: $100.00
BOOK: “WHEN I TOUCHED” – $9.99

Rev. Ronald E. Braxton, Senior Pastor, Metropolitan AME Church, Washington, DC

Sunday, February 14, 2010

www.metropolitanamec.org

Scripture 17A man in the crowd answered, “Teacher, I brought you my son, who is possessed by a spirit that has robbed him of speech. 18Whenever it seizes him, it throws him to the ground. He foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth and becomes rigid. I asked your disciples to drive out the spirit, but they could not.” 19“O unbelieving generation,” Jesus replied, “how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy to me.” 20So they brought him. When the spirit saw Jesus, it immediately threw the boy into a convulsion. He fell to the ground and rolled around, foaming at the mouth. 21Jesus asked the boy’s father, “How long has he been like this?”“From childhood,” he answered. 22“It has often thrown him into fire or water to kill him. But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us.” 23“‘If you can’?” said Jesus. “Everything is possible for him who believes.” 24Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!” 25When Jesus saw that a crowd was running to the scene, he rebuked the evil spirit. “You deaf and mute spirit,” he said, “I command you, come out of him and never enter him again.” 26The spirit shrieked, convulsed him violently and came out. The boy looked so much like a corpse that many said, “He’s dead.” 27But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him to his feet, and he stood up. 28After Jesus had gone indoors, his disciples asked him privately, “Why couldn’t we drive it out?” 29He replied, “This kind can come out only by prayer.”

Jesus invited Peter, James and John to go with him onto a mountain where the three disciples witnessed Jesus’ “transfiguration”.  Jesus’ face began to shine; his garments glowed; Elijah and Moses appeared.  The scripture text begins immediately after Jesus’ transfiguration, when Jesus and the three disciples leave the mountain and join the other 9.  The other 9 disciples had been out among the people ministering, teaching, and healing.  A father had brought his son to the 9 disciples so they could heal the boy of his affliction – he appeared to be possessed by demons, causing him to thrash about, gnashing his teeth and foaming at the mouth.  When Jesus arrived, the man approached him, asking him to heal his son.  He said:  “Father, I asked your disciples to drive out the spirit, but they could not.”

The disciples wrestled uncomfortably with why they could not heal the boy.  The boy’s father asked Jesus: “If you can do anything, take pity on us and help us.”  Jesus said: “If? Everything is possible for him/her who believes.”  The boy’s father replied:  “I do believe; but help me to overcome my unbelief.” The Gospel of Mark lays out the foundational issues that Jesus’ disciples, like all humans, wrestled with:  faith in God and faith in their own ability to access God in their daily living.

The scripture tells us how to handle mountains that loom over us in our daily lives.

1.             Never be so spiritually inept that you cannot admit that, in your own humanity, you experience faithless times in your life.  There is a “Doubting Thomas” in each of us.  Yes, I believe, but there is a part of me that borders on unbelief.  The disciples even queried why.  As strong as we think our faith might be, mountains sometimes loom larger than our faith.  Yes, I believe, but God help me in my unbelief!

2.             Let the mountain draw you closer to God.  Take your eyes off the mountain and focus on God.  Jesus’ garments were still glowing from his transfiguration, but the boy’s father did not recognize the power right in front of him!  All the father could see was his son and the demons.  The mountain can overshadow your hopes and dreams.  Take your eyes off the situation and focus on Jesus; focus on the power of God who can do all things.  Say, yes, I believe, but God help me in my unbelief!

3.             Some things can only be accomplished by prayer.  We can do some things; there are some mountains we can move by ourselves.  But there are some mountains we cannot move on our own. There are some things in our lives that only God can move. All we can do is pray, pray, pray non-stop.  Never doubt that prayer can conquer every mountain, every trap, every obstacle on your path.  Fall down on your knees and keep on praying.  God moves mountains; through prayer you can conquer anything.  God may not choose to move the mountain out of your way, but prayer will give you everything you need to deal with your mountains. 

In the Book of Judges, the prophetess Deborah, through the power of prayer, moved Barak on Mt. Tabor and to defeat an army that was 10 times greater than his own.  Without prayer, a molehill can turn into a mountain. Through prayer, with a little bit of faith, just the size of a mustard seed, you can say: “Mountain, get out of my way!” Jesus will give you the power.