we’re turning our hearts to the word of God and as we turn to 2 Samuel 6: 7-15 I want to make sure that you understand that this is not a service that we invented that in 1863 the idea and the notion started of what is now watch night Sur service that Frederick Douglas LED uh a group of people and there were small groups under trees and under rocks and under ridges 1862 up under ridges hiding to worship because they were not allowed to congregate in Open Spaces but in 1862 about September Abraham Lincoln had signed the
Emancipation Proclamation and they were still waiting to see if it was going to be a reality on December 31st of 1862 going into 1863 they believed God that this watch night would be a moment that their souls and their lives and their bodies would be liberated that they would be free to marry to own property to have a future to have a life and they either called it Freedom night or watch night ser Serv because they were believing God that they would be set free and so the custom evolved down to this current day that every year on
December 31st in part in recognition of our ancestors and their commitment to Worship in hiding with the expectation that someday they would be free and so every time we come into a building on December 31st we commemorate we validate we appreciate the struggle that brought us to open service where you can clap if you want or shout if you please and dance all over the church that is a history of watch Night Service we didn’t do this to compete with the nightclub it’s deeper than that it has a deeper meaning and a
different deeper purpose and a deeper understanding and a deeper struggle people struggled for you to be here tonight people fought and cried and some died they were caught worshiping God under trees and were killed to be here tonight they were Strange Fruit hanging from trees Strange Fruit means they were hung and left dead stretched out on trees for us to be here tonight and not just us only the notion that Frederick Douglas had is that all of America would be one and so he continued to work with Abraham Lincoln and other leaders to
fight that America would be truly one nation to God indivisible with liberty and justice for all Abraham Lincoln was shot for it Frederick dougl died fighting for it surely you can drive to it as we turn into the our attention to the word of God we come to understand that Oneness Unity devotion commitment does not come easy it doesn’t come without struggle second Samuel 6:7 when you have it say Amen this is perhaps would you stand for the reading of God’s word you can sit the rest of the night if you like take your shoes off if you want to
if your feet are clean to me now everybody says that David’s greatest moment was when he killed Goliath but but that was his inaugural moment that was his debut moment that was the moment that the king noticed him but to me this is David’s greatest moment because what was prophesied then has now finally come to pass anytime God promis you something do do not snatch the promise without understanding that with it comes the problems I heard my sister say that this is 20 2024 is a year of more and everybody shouted all over the
