Osler's Razor

Yesterday morning, I went to hear Rev. Kerry Berkley preach at Greater Ebenezer Baptist Church here in Waco. It was a wonderful experience, and brought full circle my experience in Waco.

Jesus commanded that we welcome the stranger. Ten years ago, I came to Waco as a stranger. I literally knew no one here. The culture was different, the land was different, it was all very foreign. I was alone and scared. As I described in my last lecture, my furniture had not arrived, and all there was in my house was a futon and rickety three-legged table. I would set a meal on the stool, sit on the futon, eat my dinner, and then wonder what to do next.

Waco, though, did not let me feel like a stranger for long. I walked into a church and was welcomed, into a store, the school, and there was a spirit of welcoming that made everything better. I have not felt like a stranger for a long time here.

Today, though, I chose (I thought) to again be a stranger. I went to a church where I knew no one in the congregation (or so I thought). Greater Ebenezer is a small church by the interstate which recently built a new building-- the one in the photo is now gone. I know the pastor there, Kerry Berkley, who is a wonderful man, and I had always wanted to hear him preach.

None of the hymns were familiar, nor were many other parts of the liturgy. As is common in black Baptist churches, there were two collections, and the service lasted nearly three hours. At times I was lost. For a moment, I felt like I was back on that futon.

But for only a moment. As had happened in those first few days, good people of Waco welcomed the stranger. I was shown many kindnesses, and by the time Rev. Berkley began preaching I was moved and inspired. His sermon raised a theological point I had never considered, so I was challenged as well (I will discuss this in a future post). Nancy Hampton, who has worked with me here at the law school for many years, is a member of the church, and it was a joy to see her. It was a wonderful service, and I left not a stranger at all. Though I walked out alone, I was no longer alone in my spirit.

It is a good place.