It won’t be like any other Good Friday service. When worshippers show up on March 29 for the noon service at Northwood Appold United Methodist Church in Baltimore, they will find a totally unexpected context for the oh-so-familiar content.
The altars will be bare, as expected, having been stripped from the ceremonial trappings of Maundy Thursday when the feet of the congregation are traditionally washed by clergy as Jesus did for his disciples. The bare wood is vividly reminiscent of the wood of the cross that would hold Jesus hostage as he is subjected to capital punishment by the Romans.
RELATED: Ramadan: A Catalyst for Growth and Change
Traditionally, seven preachers expound on scriptures that reflect the last sayings of Jesus while on the cross. They begin with his asking his father to forgive his assassins, him forgiving the repentant thief, proceed with him entrusting his mother to the care of his disciple, John, and end with him entrusting himself into the hands of his father.
But not at Northwood Appold.
“I wanted to do something different, something timely, something our parishioners could relate to,” says the Rev. Dr. Kevin D. Slayton, senior pastor of Northwood Appold.
“I wanted to offer something that would open our hearts as well as our spirits to hear piercing cries of our own time.”
He, therefore, enlisted the help of clergy associates, including the presiding bishop, the Right Rev. LaTrelle Easterling.
And through the words of Jesus, the preachers will each address the pain of a mother whose son has been murdered on America’s streets.
RELATED: Why Gunshot Injuries Disrupt Manhood for Black Men
The Reverends Michael Parker, Robert Turner, Angelic Williams, Walter Parrish III, Jason Jordan-Griffin, Rhonda Boozer-Yeary, and Bishop Easterling will resound the tragedies of Trayvon Martin/Sabrina Sutton, Freddie Gray/Gloria Darden, Tamir Rice/Samaria Rice, Michael Brown/Lezly Mcspadden, Eric Garner/Gwen Carr, George Floyd/Larcenia Floyd and Jesus and Mary, respectively.
“This is certainly the most creative assignment I’ve been part of. But we’ve all lived the cries of mothers of murdered sons. We’ve seen our sons dragged through the streets. We’ve seen them beaten mercilessly and unfairly,” says the Rev. Boozer-Yeary.
RELATED: Mothers Take a Stand Against Gun Violence
“Our hearts have been collectively broken by such injustice. We’ve wept for these sons, whether we gave birth to them or not. We’ve cried and screamed with these mothers.”
She says with all the varied opportunities to share Good Friday messages, this one has totally captured her heart and her attention.
“In a time when so many struggle with what the word of God means to them, this is an awesome opportunity to marry the two and allow them to see and feel it. We will still be preaching Jesus and him crucified!!”
Dr. Slayton has been intentional about making the gospel relevant in every context.
“The primary source of our work is rooted in the social gospel of Jesus Christ and his work on behalf of the poor, marginalized, incarcerated and oppressed,” as posted on his website.
During the season of Lent, the church has also hosted Dr. Ray Winbush and Kevin Daniels to speak on “The Cross and the Lynching Tree,” by theologian Dr. James Cone.
And recent Sunday services have embraced other faiths and ways of talking about God, through the use of familiar text, “Faith Seeking Understanding,” by Daniel Migliore, and engagement with the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews (IFCJ).
In addition to being a pastor, Dr. Slayton works with the Maryland Center on Economic Policy, teaches at Lancaster Theological Seminary in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and has recently written “Politically Preaching.”
“It is incumbent upon spiritual leaders to feed the spirit and the intellect in order to create a passion for social justice among Christians,” Dr. Slayton says.
