Column by Mary Lee Talbot
There is a reason the feeding of the multitude is found in all four gospels, the Rev. Julius Jackson, Jr., said. “We see compassion from Jesus, and we see God’s abundance to solve problems that are large.” His sermon title was “Compassionate Hospitality,” and the Scripture reading was Matthew 14:13–21.
Jackson preached at the 9:15 a.m. ecumenical communion service in the Hall of Philosophy. Jackson is the senior pastor of the United Church of Pittsford, New York. In his work in community service and interracial healing in the Rochester, New York, area, he has served on the Martin Luther King, Jr. Greater Rochester Commission and in 2023, he received the New York State Council of Churches’ Award for Excellence in Ecumenical and Interfaith Relations.
In the Scripture reading, Jesus had just received word of the death of John the Baptist. Jesus went to a place to be alone and grieve. The most likely reason for his withdrawal was that John was his cousin, kinfolk and trusted friend. “Surely John’s death grieved him, and Jesus needed a breather. But Jesus being Jesus, when the people showed up, he showed compassion to them and one them. He healed the sick; hospitality trumped solitude,” he said.
At the end of a long day, the disciples tried to send the crowd away, but this was a pivotal point. Three times Jackson said, “This becomes a call to action.” The disciples could not ignore the need of the people, like the mendacity of people in high places today.
He added, “You can’t say you are a Christian if you will not take up the tools, because the hour is late to do away with racism, sexism, antisemitism, Islamophobia and all the other -isms that should have been addressed long ago. The hour is late, but this is our time. The hour is still late but God is still speaking.”
Jackson asked the congregation, “While you are in need to be fed, are you willing and able to take up the task? Today, you are seeking nourishment for your soul. When you leave, you will be filled with compassionate hospitality for all.”
The Rt. Rev. Eugene Taylor Sutton, senior pastor of Chautauqua, presided. The Rev. Rachel Stuart, pastor of the Hurlbut Memorial Community United Methodist Church, served as communion celebrant. Sonya Subbayya Sutton, interim director of Sacred Music, played “Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child” by 19th-century composer Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, a British citizen of mixed race, who was called during his lifetime “the African Mahler.” The Scripture reader was the Rev. Donald Gillett, II, regional minister for the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Kentucky and chaplain this week at the Disciples House. The Rev. Danae Ashley, an Episcopal priest, therapist and vocal actor, who is teaching a course on Hildegard von Bingen, led the morning prayers and gave the final blessing. The Motet Choir, under the direction of Sutton, sang a cappella, a setting of the George Herbert text “Love Bade Me Welcome” by David Hurd. Sutton and the choir led the congregation in singing during the communion service. The communion chaplains were Gillett; Ashley; Presbyterian Chaplain from Falls Church, Virginia, Megan Close; United Methodist Chaplain from Durham, North Carolina, Laurie Hays Coffman; and David Myers, host and chaplain at the Episcopal Cottage, a retired priest from the Great Lakes Diocese. Each chaplain chose a member of the congregation to help serve communion with them. Support for this week’s chaplaincy and preaching was provided by the Mr. and Mrs. William Uhler Follansbee Memorial Chaplaincy and The Alison and Craig Marthensen Endowment for the Department of Religion.
