February 1, 2026, The Fourth Sunday after Epiphany
Calling With A Purpose
O Lord, You are our Guiding Light, in your light we see light because you are the fountain of life. Open our hearts so that we may receive and perceive you. Open our ears and eyes to hear and behold your presence through your word spoken. Lord, Sanctify us through your Word, your Word is truth. Let my word also be seasoned with salt so that it may administer grace to your people. Lord I pray, may the words of my mouth and the meditation of our hearts be acceptable before you O Lord our strength and our Redeemer. Amen.
First, I’d like to thank you at this parish for the support you gave me during my time here as a seminarian almost 10 years ago. On December 5th of the following year, My family became proud Black Canadians.
Second, by the grace of God as the National President and Board Chair of Black Anglicans in Canada, and on behalf of our siblings from ELCIC, I am bringing you greetings from coast-to-coast-to-coast. BLAC is a ministry of our communion that helps us to engage and reflect on what it means to be Black Christian in the Canadian history. Because as God’s children we believe that we are all called for a purpose. And the purpose seems to me is the trajectory from what we have read in the prophet’s message from the Book of Micah - Our first reading being proclaimed this morning.
“He has told you, O mortal, what is good, and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice and to love kindness and to walk humbly with your God?” Micah 6:8.
I also want to believe from the Gospel passage in THE BEAUTITUDES (Matthew 5:1-12) that is read, here is juxtaposed for us for a reason in our Lectionary to see where we are being called to action through our Christian principles that guide our relationship with God, fellow humans and for our spiritual existence.
So what does this mean for us in the context of kick-starting the BHM in Canada today? [Even though we are all people to be celebrated and validated through various ministries of the Church regardless of who we are, where we come, who we look like, the colour of our skin, the language we speak, our culture, our identity, our ethnicity, or sexual orientation]. What does this mean in the world that is now so divided and has become so chaotic treating each other along racial lines and identities? What does this mean when it is easy for anyone to say it’s now between us and them? What does this mean when we as Canadians are now so afraid to travel to see our families and friends in the south of the border?
– It means as humans God has an expectation from us about how we treat each other justly, respectfully, lovingly, kindly and for all of us to walk humbly together with this awesome God on the journey. It means that we need to join God who is the beginning and end, we only join Him in the middle of the journey of life for all of us to walk humbly together with Him.
- I know that talking about Black History is not always going to be an easy and comfortable conversation. Why? For me as a child of the communion who grew up in the global south of the Anglican Communion, I am the fifth generation of those who have experienced generational trauma of slavery and systemic racism within and beyond the four-walls of the church. Is it about Accent/Language/Cultural Identity/Belief System/…from my personal experience, I have seen quite a bit in my lifetime.
From my hometown in Abeokuta to “Point of No Return” in the coast of Badagry, Lagos to the “Gate of No Return” at Elmina Castle in the Gold Coast of Accra, Ghana and to many other historic slave sights across the continent of Africa, to here in Canada, especially in Nova Scotia through Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade of fellow humans, time will not permit me to share our full story. My childhood experience from the cradle of Christianity in West Africa (Where the 1st Church in Nigeria was established in the early 1840s, becoming a central hub for Christianity and education in Nigeria to here with BHM, I humbly stand before you this day that this largely connects me to my roots, my ancestry and my faith. We cannot talk about BHM without talking about how faith has taken black people this far.
My own personal experience has also connected me to many of my other siblings who have experienced similar generational trauma of slavery and systemic racism. My instance here today is just one among many of these untold stories of the same shared history from West Coast to East Coast of Africa, from the North to the Southern Region of Africa, and not to forget the same shared history of our fellow siblings from Latin America to the Caribbean Islands. In diversity of our voices, we are seeking ways by which the church through liberation calls all of us to action by “Embracing Cultural Diversity” in the church [By the way our Diocese has done so well in this regard with four Resolutions C-2, C3, C4 & C5 passed at the Session of the 118th Synod in 2022]. The result is the fruit of what we have in the leadership role of this Diocese at the moment – with our new Bishop (First Black and African Bishop in the history of our Diocese; one of the two (the other from the Diocese of Montreal), that we currently have in the Anglican Church of Canada). Therefore, it worth mentioning that “Embracing (this) Cultural Diversity” is part of the policy statement at General Synod in 2007, where the ACC proclaimed a Charter for Racial Justice which states: “We are called to be a church where people have the assurance that they will be treated with dignity and respect where they will find a community free of racism.” Prior to this policy in the church has long been advocated by The Reverend Dr. Romney Moseley [A Barbadian Reverend Gentleman] in the Diocese of Toronto, who worked so hard to ensure that the purpose of our calling matters in the church of God. While Reverend Moseley was advocating for embracing cultural diversity within the Church, thank God for the Honourable Jean Augustine in the political arena, the first Black Canadian woman to serve as a federal Minister of the Crown and Member of Parliament, who brought a motion forward in recognition and celebration of February as Black History Month in 1996.
This year marks 30th anniversary of Black History Month with the national theme: “Honouring Black Brilliance Across Generations — From Nation Builders to Tomorrow's Visionaries.” And here in our Province, we are joining Black Manitobans to celebrate our ancestry with the theme: “ROOTED IN LEGACY - HONOURING A CENTURY OF BLACK HISTORY” - 45 YEARS STRONG IN MANITOBA.
As Black Anglicans of Canada with our siblings in communion with ELCIC, we are joining hands with everyone as “People of Many Cultures” yet “As One People” under One God in all that we do by leading with Godly examples.
Black Anglicans of Canada Declaration
“We as people of African Descent are commissioned and called to be ambassadors of reconciliation. We are called to create opportunities and space for courage building, healing, fellowship and empowerment. This special calling is both a reminder and a challenge to ourselves and to the whole church that we are no longer destined to just obey, suffer and witness; but to disrupt, heal and lead,” by Godly examples.
In other words, our core values state that:
We seek to promote belongingness: To develop and promote through liturgical enhancement in the way we worship, in policies and processes that will ensure Black cultures, experience, history and lived experiences are included and reflected in the liturgy, leadership and the full life of the Anglican Church of Canada (and those in full communion with us), including theological schools and affiliated agencies and organizations.
We encourage empowerment: To support and enhance the ability of Blacks in lay, ordained leadership roles and staff; to make meaningful decisions and to be heard in Anglican church of Canada, in addition to our local and international Black communities.
We promote participation: To increase the active engagement of Black people in lay and ordained leadership roles, and staff at our national offices, executive levels, church councils, synods, local churches/parishes, areas/deaneries, all decision-making boards/committees of the Anglican church of Canada and those in full communion with the Anglican Church of Canada.
We seek and promote representation: To increase the number of Blacks in lay and ordained leadership roles, in all parishes/churches, organizations, areas/deaneries, at Synod, on church decision making bodies, boards, committees and in staff positions in the Anglican Church of Canada and those in full communion with the Anglican Church of Canada.
So with these four core values, Prophet Micah’s prophet message for us is still very relevant as Church today, if we can try to internalize or contextualize this celebration of Black History Month in Canada to be part of the movement we are called to:
- Act justly: Acknowledge systemic injustices faced by Black Canadians and stand for what is right. [My late priest Dad used to say, “Son stand for what is right, even if you’re standing alone”]. To be honest, it’s NOT easy to stand alone – it takes grace, courage and resilience. Above all it take total reliance on God for one to stand faithfully when humanity fails in our struggles to make a difference and positive impacts in our society.
- Love mercy: Show compassion and empathy, working towards equity and inclusion for all.
- Walk humbly: Recognize the ongoing impact of history, listening, telling our stories, our pains, struggles, educating those who are ignorant and amplify Black voices where they are making positive impacts.
Our great father in the Lord, The Archbishop Desmond Tutu believed that “sharing one's experiences of pain and struggle is a crucial step towards healing and liberation.” That’s why it is important as Black people we need to share our stories of resilience, struggles, pains and faith. In the summer of 2016 I was called a racist name in downtown Main Street. A lady just looked at me, she didn’t like me and yelled at me and said, “You’re too black! And bald.” Hearing this reminds and made me laugh and to recalled in that moment what my late Priest Dad used to say and what he did when people would mistreat him: “Do not pay evil for evil.” And with this, I responded back and said, “Black is beautiful; we are all beautifully, fearfully and wonderfully made…”
Dear friends in Christ, the sky is so wide enough for all the birds to fly, and why not us as humas to live together in peace, do justly, treat each other respectfully, lovingly, kindly and for all of us to walk humbly with our God. Thanks be to God. Amen.