Marilyn Turner — Closing Night

The Morehouse College glee club—adorned in ties, slacks and blazers—stood on the stage risers and captivated the audience gathered for closing night. The young men looked like all of the men who hold “center stage” in my life. They reminded me of the men who have loved me and those I have loved—my beloved, my son, my father, my nephew and my uncles.

When the young man, whose hair was styled in cornrows, stepped forward and enthralled us with a rich and skilled testimony of the power of Christ as anchor in his life, I found myself wondering. Wondering how persons in this crowd, which was enthusiastically extending him a well-deserved standing ovation, would react to him if they encountered him on a dark street. I wondered if our ears could hear his melodious voice or if they’d be deafened by his cornrows. I wondered, as I have wondered so often, how much richer our world could be if we could all rid ourselves (me included) of our stereotypical thinking.

I wonder if we might all learn to adhere to the charge given us by former President Carter in his closing remarks: “Love God and love the person who is standing in front of you at any particular time.” Perhaps that is what this wonderful conference has been about— challenging us to move beyond the borders of our personal comfort. Perhaps the challenge before us is to move collectively closer to the cross until, even as the eyes of the world are upon us, we become the image of the serving, suffering and triumphant Christ.

“What’s next?” has been the question on the lips of so many who have been a part of the New Baptist Covenant. Perhaps the answer is quite simply this, “Love God. Love the person in front of you at any particular time.” Love them with the love of Christ.