P age B7
T he P ortland O bserver • F ebruary 23, 1994
SEEING JESUS
M attie A nn C alleeh -S pears
Did you see Jesus as you walked
along the street? Did you see Jesus in
the dirty face squatting on the ground?
Did yo see Jesus as you opened the
door to the sanctuary? Did you see
Jesus in the song of a little canary?
As we live our lives from day to
day, we take for granted how we came
to tue where we are; how old we are;
how healthy we are. Yes! We take for
granted our everyday staples. We take
for granted the shelter covering us,
the clotheson our backs, our vehicles,
our jobs, the shoes on our feet; and we
even take our five senses for granted.
As I was driving back from the
prison last night, I was so tired, be
cause of the day’s activities, but I
couldn’t help thinking about how
much people take their everyday ex
istence for granted. For some reason,
we have conditioned ourselves to just
look-overthingsandpeople who have
been there before. We just assume
that it will always be like that—again
and again. This has become the over
whelming mentality of the occupants
of our institutions and many people
on the outside, as the residents of the
institutions refer to it.
A long time ago, the old ones
referred to this condition as, “They
can’t see past their own noses.” The
words from that same time period
says it all, “I’m so glad that trouble
won’tlastalw ays.O ’ my lawd! O ’ my
lawd! What shall I do?”
W ell-I know what I shall do. I
will look to Jesus for He is my every
thing. Jesus is my water when I am
thirsty. Hie is m bread when I am
hungry. He is the Great Comforter
by
when I am tired or hurt or lonely. He
is my provider-not the grocery store.
Jesus is the Great H ealer-not the
doctors, as man think. You see...its’
God working through the physicians.
It is God who gave them the skills, in
the first place.
We assume and we take so much
for granted. When we fall down, oft
times, we assume that we should get
comfortable in the depths of our situ
ations. And we assume that there is no
way out. B ut-did you consult Jesus?
He is the Great Emancipator for all
who seek his face.
During times of slavery and op
pression, Jesus was the “Great Eman
cipator". Even though the history
books give a different story, Jesus
Christ was the one who really set the
captives free.
As I sat researching and attempt
ing to understand the meaning be
hind the words of the old spirituals,
the words of the slaves, which were
chanted in the master’s house or out
in the fields or even on the gallows,
were chock-full with expressions of
seeing Jesus; of how Jesus would set
them free; of how they didn’t like the
p a in -b u t-ju st knowing Jesus would
be there waiting for them on the other
side. Death became a welcomed ve
hicle.
To the slaves, Jesus could be
seen; swinging down in a beautiful
chariot, being driven by spirited white
horses or waiting for them with out
stretched arms as they crossed over
the River Jordan or in the lightening
and rolling thunder.
Although many of these songs
were songs of sorrow, there was joy
just in knowing that, one day, Jesus
would set them free and that they
could finally see him and say, “Tank
you Mastuah! Ah sho’ iz glad to see
yah face. I’z free at las’!”
In this present-day time period,
we are witnessing another “Exodus”-
-of sorts. In the air, criescan be heard,
“Let mu people go! Let my people
go!”
The lamentations can be heard
from around the globe. So many na
tions are beginning to seek the face of
the Lord because, they have discov
ered that slavery is not just limited to
one race or one kind of people. Sla
very comes in so many shapes and
forms. There is slavery of the mind
and slavery of the heart and slavery of
the thoughts and slavery of the emo
tions and slavery of the sexes and
finances.
Some would not care to address
these issues because they claim that
these kinds of slavery are not visible
to he naked eye. Well! I disagree.
Have you ever seen a man or
woman, on the streets, suffering from
damaged and gripping emotions? I
have. When you speak to them, they
talk about wanting to be “Free”: and,
wanting to commit suicide so that
they can to be with Jesus.
“I can’t stand it any longer on
this earth”, I head a female inmate
cry. “Why does it have to be like this?
Why can’t God just come and get us
NOW?”
This plight was not black against
white or native A frican against
hispanic or jews against gentiles or
skin-heads against bloods. This was a
conflict-within.
Wanting to see Jesus has become
a final plea for many a desperate
souls. But-while we walk this earth,
we must learn to see Jesus in others
and in everything that we do. I’ve
found out that if you can’t see Him in
whatever it is that you are pursuing,
you better stop. Backup. Turn around.
You are going in the wrong direc
tions.
Recently a drug addict shared,
“Miss Spears! I really felt that when
I was really high, I could see Jesus.
The drug made me feel like I was
more spiritual. But—when I came
down, it was ugly and it never was the
same. I could never reach that same
high level; so, I took more and more
drugs.”
If m ankind would ju st wake
up and realize that he is re sp o n
sible for w hat happens in this
life, because of his ability to m ake
choices, he would certainly order
form a d ifferen t menu.
Accountability and responsibil
ity should be the first order of one’s
day; however, this is not true across
the board-of-life. No one wants to
own-up to his/her mistake, wrong
turns, errors, boo-boos, or accidents;
so we give them other names and
descriptions. And we blame someone
else or a situation.
Still we want to see Jesus’ face.
MMWWMMMWtWMMHMMMMHHMMMMWWMMMtM««
“When we see Jesus face to face.
We will see Him who saved us by
grace. It will be glorious and victori
ous. When we see H im -w e shall be
just like Him.”
Praise The Lord!
Church o f (jo d in Christ
T he B ethel A.M.E. C hurch C athedral C hoir is
B lack H istory month with a special
night of “ N egro \ S pirituals ”
cordially incites you to the
Please join us on Sunday, February 27,1994, at 5:00 pm for
“Once upon a time...When we were colored.”
07//. Z io n
0
Obituary
celebrating
'' installation Service oj
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as
{Pastor
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„„ S i U a * /
° i ^ ‘l’n u r v
Bethel A.M.E. C hurch is located at 5828 NE 8th Avenue, three
blocks east of M artin Luther King Blvd., on J a rre tt Street.
Please contact D eborah Hall, Program C hairperson at (503) 285-
4608 for additional inform ation.
C o x F m iic r a l H o n i e In c «
(Minetten liuiijrijanjninety-four
F uneral D irectors
2736 NE R odney
at three o’cloch in the afternoon
(£he W it. Z io n
Church o f Cfod,n Christ
281-4891
6800 Wortheast {Durham Street
A nnouncing our
N ewest S taff
M ember
{Portland, Oregon
Annual Spring Musical
Saturday, F ebruary 26, 1994
6 - 8 p.m.
at
Bethel A.M.E. C hurch
5828 NE 8th Avenue
THEME:
“Let the Children Come”
C hildren’s C hoir
P articipants will include:
Youth and/or Children’s Choirs from
Emmanuel Temple, Bcrcan Baptist Church with Tamara Barnett,
soloist, Allen Temple, Vancouver Ave. 1st Baptist, Bethel A.M.E.
Church and others!
TO BENEFIT:
North Portland Bible College Building Fund
For information, call NPBC, 288-2919
PO Box, 11437, Portland, OR 97211
Jerome G. Tanner
A pprentice F uneral D i r e c t o r
We W elcom e You to The
(g r e a te r j ^ a m t jg te p lje n
Willie Lee Hill was bom Oc
tober 13, 1918 in Montgomery,
Alabama. The daughter of Nellie
Butler and Elliott Eason, she was
the eldest of two children, She left
to be with the Lord on February 13,
1994 in Portland, Oregon.
During the mid 1940’s she
moved to Portland to join her hus
band, a shipyard worker and rail
road man. Her profession was that
of mother, housewife, and benevo
lent giver.
She gave birth to seven chil
dren. She gave love, inspiration
and her strength to the five who
survived and their children.
Willie Lee is survived by a loving family: her husband, James C. Hill,
sister, Laura L. Bellamy of Rochester, New York; sons, James E. Hill of
Washington D.C., Orcnton B. Hill, Sr., and Clarence W. Hill of Portland,
Micheál L. Hill of Wetumpka, Alabama; a daughter Saundra Olia of Los
Angeles,California; 19grandchildrcn, 17grcat-grandchildren,twonieces,
a nephew, and a host relatives and friends.
M a llo ry Avenue
Christian Church
“Come to me all you who ore
weary and heavy laden and I
will give you rest."
9:45am Sunday School
11:00am Morning LUorship
7:30pm Tuesday Bible Study
and Prayer
In te r-ra cia l C o n g re g a tio n
126 N€ Alberta Portland. OR 97211 (503) 288-5173
c=St.
(2/iuxali
103 NE Morris St., Portland, OR 97212
• Sunday School -9:30am
• Sunday Morning Wor
ship Service -1 1 :00am
• Sunday School Teacher's
Meeting Tues - 6:30pm
• Bible Study Wednesday -
6:00pm
• Prayer Meeting
Wednesday - 7:00pm
Church Phone Number
287-7457
Dr. Joe S. Hardie, Pastor
We Invite You To Come And Worship With Us.
The Church Where Everybody is Somebody And Christ
Is All.
^ a u l JH tssunuiru
^Baptist (i^urclj
8 1 0 1 N. Fiske Avenue
Church Phone: 289-0147
Portland Oregon 97203
Study Phone: 21 9-1911
Sunday Service
¿ ¡ f f l x s s i t m a r g b a p t i s t (U tjixrclj
10:45
Sunday School
“Serving The Lord
With Gladness”
9:30
Bible Study
Psalm 100:2
4*»**
Sunday School 10am
Morning Worship 11:05
Wednesday
6:00
Evening Service
7:00pm
Pastor. Rc. JamcsC E. Eaulkncr
Prayer & Bible Study 7pm
Rev. G.L. Black I Pastor
3605 N.E. Mallory Ave.
(503) 281-8117 Portland,
OR 97212
fu n e r a l
d ir e c t o r s
Family Owned and Operated Since 1954 Serving
the City of Portlandfor over 31 years In your
hour o f need Vann & Vann are there to serve.
MT. OLIVET
BABTIST CHURCH
Has moved Sunday services to
Family Life Center,
8725 N. Chautauqua Blvd.,
at Willis Blvd.
Worship Services 8:00am & 11:00am,
Church School 9:30 to 10:30 am,
Bible Study, Wednesdays, 116 NE Schuyler, 10:30am & 7 00pm
Radio Ministry each Sunday, 8:00am on KBMS
503/281-2836
A Teaching Church With A Reaching Ministry
5211 N. Williams Portland, OR 97217
Church O ffice 116 NE Schuyler St. • (503) 284-1954
Dr. James E. Martin. Senior Pastor
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