Sermon preached for Emmanuel Baptist Church (Brooklyn, NY) on Saturday, September 19, 2020 (Quarantine)
"I would add here that the thing that probably contributes the most to us being nostalgic for the status quo during this season is the language of “the new normal.” I hate it. The narrative of the “new normal” is a false one. It’s false because it implies a permanence in what we see right now. What we are in is the “present reality,” which is a departure from what was our status quo. The present reality is the pandemic and quarantine. The present reality has gone on far longer than what many of us expected or were prepared for. But during it heightened commitment and involvement against racism and its offspring, police brutality, and the mass revelation that the very foundations of the system are more screwed up than a lot of people were willing to admit has happened. The bottom line is that the “present reality” is a bridge period. The “new normal” or new reality (new thing), however, is on the other side of all of this. It is still yet to come. And, we are still waiting patiently."
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