Anglicans kicked off Black History Month with a joyful worship service that was infused with the lyrics and melodies of the late reggae legend, Bob Marley.
It was freezing cold outside on Feb. 1 but the atmosphere inside St. James Cathedral was warm and inviting as many in the large congregation swayed and danced to some of Mr. Marley’s greatest hits, including One Love, One Heart, Redemption Song and Get Up, Stand Up.
The service, called The Bob Marley (Emancipation) Mass, celebrated the Black heritage of the Anglican Church. It included liturgical dancers, a band and a sermon by Bishop Deon Johnson of the Diocese of Missouri. The service was written by the Rev. Canon Dr. Stephen Fields, vicar of the cathedral and sub-dean of the diocese.
The themes of justice, redemption, liberation and hope flowed like a strong current through the service, and Mr. Marley’s lyrics on these subjects were used in many of the prayers.
The song selection reflected these themes as well. The offertory song was Exodus while the songs during communion were Could You Be Loved and Three Little Birds. Mr. Marley’s soulful Redemption Song featured prominently in the service and the recessional song – Get Up, Stand Up – provided a stirring finish.
In his sermon, Bishop Johnson reflected on music, especially singing, as an expression of hope and resistance. He spoke about his great-grandmother of many generations ago who had a beautiful voice and loved to sing even though she was an enslaved person all her life.
“Her singing was singing of freedom, even when she would not see freedom,” he said. “Her singing was singing of dreams that she would never see realized… When you sing, you are set free, even in the midst of bondage. When you sing, you proclaim the revolution, even when you do not see the revolution come. And Eliza knew that. Eliza knew that to sing was to praise God and to love, even when loving is hard.”
He urged Anglicans to channel their love of God into the world to help bring about peace and justice. “I am convinced that we are called at this time in our world to sing – to sing of the revolutionary love that we find in Jesus Christ… We are called to love this world enough to tell it the truth. We are called to love this world enough to be actors and doers towards God’s justice and peace right here and right now.”
During the service, Canon Fields and Ms. Kendall honoured Angela Whyte, one of the One Love dancers who was performing. Ms. Whyte danced at the first diocesan Black heritage service back in 1996.
Bishop Andrew Asbil welcomed everyone to the service. “It is an opportunity to give thanks for the legacy, the wisdom, the sacrifice, the joy and all of the gifts that have been offered down through time by our Black community members,” he said.
He thanked the One Love Dancers and the MOKA band. “We sway and we pray with the great Bob Marley,” he said. “We are one love, one heart. Let’s get together and feel all right.”
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